Quite the Mother Load
by houseprodigy
Summary: Just when Roy and Ed thought the hard part was over...it happened. Now they must determine what to do with the impossible. What will they do? And what will Al say? Sequel to "A Lot to Make Up For."
1. Intro

**A/N: Ah, so here it is: the first installation of my newest story, "Quite the Mother Load." I wouldn't call it the anticipated sequel…okay, yes I would. It's the anticipated sequel of my story, "A Lot to Make Up For." From the reviews left after the last chapter, I'd say a few of you are probably squealing and squirming in your seats. I must say, I am pretty excited (anxious?) about this undertaking. It's going to be lighter than the last one, but also very interesting. I am going to be able to put all of my wonderful occupational knowledge to recreational use (for those of you who don't speak gibberish, it means I'll be able to use what I learned from my job and apply it to this story). For those of you who don't know what I do for a living, other than sell my soul to the university, well…guess it'll be a surprise, huh? Anyway, enjoy. Let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. I'd ask the story below mine, though, they seem to have a pretty good handle on things (keep in mind I have no idea whatsoever who is posted below me in the listings…hahaha).**

Roy Mustang awoke bright and early on a Saturday morning, as he had a tendency to do so, despite his best intentions to stay asleep as long as humanly possible. The sight that met his eyes was that of a blonde chibi sleeping peacefully beside him, his golden tresses slightly mussed from the previous night's activities. His long eyelashes swept over sun-kissed, freckled cheeks, reflecting the light and making the young man look almost luminous in the early morning light.

Then, it hit him. Quite literally. Much like other things pertaining to the metal-limbed alchemist, the pleasantness wore off fast. One second, Roy was contently watching his young lover sleep blissfully, the next, a very quick moving arm swung out and hit him right in the eye.

And he wasn't even fortunate enough for it to be Ed's flesh hand. Ow.

Roy groaned in pain, covering his face and rolling out of bed. He slipped on a pair of pajama pants and headed towards the bathroom, quickly flicking the light switch on and looking in the mirror. Though the reflective glass was in desperate need of a clean (Edward had a terrible habit of getting toothpaste everywhere when he brushed his teeth), it was obvious that it was going to be one beauty of a shiner. He sighed, grabbing a washcloth out of the nearby linen cupboard and running it under some cold water. With some luck, he wouldn't be called in all weekend, and he'd be able to get the swelling down enough to conceal it by then. If not, then well…

At least he'd kept his patch.

As he looked into the mirror once more, it became obvious that there was something else the dried toothpaste couldn't manage to hide:

Roy was getting old. Well, he was getting old_er,_ anyway, and it wasn't going as gracefully as he'd hoped it would. Bags were under his eyes; bags that used to take him a few days of less than three hours of sleep to get. Now, they just seemed to be there, taunting him, reminding him that it didn't matter how much he slept, they weren't going away so easily.

He squinted, trying to see if there were any worry lines on his usually smooth forehead. He was surprised to find that there were none, which was amazing, considering what he'd had to put up with the past five…six…uh…how many years _had_ he known Ed? He'd been roughly twenty-eight years of age when he'd first seen the then-eleven-year-old boy…

Roy tried to shake off the thought that he was indeed seventeen years older than his much more youthful lover, which was enough for him to be his father—albeit, it would make him Edward's very _young _father, but his father nonetheless.

He was suddenly reminded of something Maes Hughes had once said to him, back before everything had spun out of control, before he'd nearly lost everything and everyone dear to him…

"_You know, Roy, it really wouldn't kill you to take a little time off work, maybe take some time for yourself, get some rest, find a nice girl…"_

_Without raising his head from a no doubt mindless document he was signing, Roy raised his hands, his fingers poised to snap. "Maes, before you finish that sentence, just remember my quick reflexes…"_

_The young lt. colonel merely laughed and waved his hand. "Aw, you'd no more snap at me than you would at Hawkeye." He sat on the edge of Roy's desk, putting his hand over the document his friend was currently signing, causing a pair of slightly irked, dark eyes to look up at him in question._

_He chose to ignore his friend's expression and continued on, determined to make his point. "Seriously, though, Roy…you need to take a break. You work too hard. You're going to work yourself right into an early grave if you keep it up."_

_Roy sighed, feeling the fatigue he knew was there, but he'd never acknowledge in front of his friend, just out of spite. "Promotions don't make themselves, you know. All play and no work, and even Fuery will pass me up in the ranks."_

_Maes shook his head, closing his green eyes and rubbing them tiredly. "Honestly…I know I give you grief and all about your rank, but honestly, I think you're doing just fine the way you are. Work too hard, and you'll appear too ambitious. Then, you really will be stuck here forever." He grinned impishly. "Besides, I know for a fact you haven't been on any dates in awhile. What, are you planning to give up the military and become a priest?"_

_Roy snorted, amused. "Hardly, Maes. I couldn't be any more of a priest than you could a polygamist." He moved his friend's hand and resumed his work._

_Hughes shrugged, knowing Roy was probably right, and there wasn't really anything to be done about it. He'd just have to try later._

_Just then, the door slammed open as a very irate-looking Edward marched in, looking disheveled and exhausted. He slapped a set of papers on top of the ones Roy had been working on and crossed his arms._

_Not bothering to look up, Roy set the papers aside and continued working. "Come up short again, eh Fullmetal?"_

"_Don't get cocky with me, Bastard. You know very well we didn't come up with anything. Just another wild goose chase. Al's lucky he came out in less than five pieces!"_

_Roy smirked slightly, though he felt his chest tighten. Had they come that close again? As much as he hated the idea of the two Elrics running all over the country in search of the impossible, he couldn't hardly keep them around, either. There were missions to be done, and the teen was good at what he did. That just couldn't be helped. When he became Fuhrer, however, things were going to change. He was going to tie a leash around that boy's neck and bind him to his desk so that the blonde wouldn't ever leave his sight._

"_And another thing, don't even think about doing anything to our research budget," Edward said, cutting into Roy's thoughts. "Just because there was a small accident and a couple of somewhat important buildings were wrecked, it's not really my fault. I don't do these things on my own, you know."_

_Roy quirked an eyebrow. As mad as the boy was at the moment, he couldn't help but want to push some of his buttons, just to see what he'd do. "Oh, so you don't want your budget to reflect your stature, do you?"_

_Ed's eyes narrowed threateningly. Roy knew he was playing with fire, but then again, that was his specialty._

"_Who are you calling so small that…"_

"_Hey, calm down there, Ed," Hughes interjected. "Don't let Roy give you a hard time. I'm sure he won't do anything to your budget, will you, Roy?"_

_The older man sighed, rubbing his head. Two against one. Damn his luck. He'd always hated how the odds stacked against him. Looking at the blonde fuming before his desk, he thought again about those odds._

_Okay, so it was more like one versus one-and-a-half. Still, he didn't really care for those, either._

_With a mental roll of his eyes, Roy replied, "No, I guess not…this time. Do it again, and even the lt. colonel won't be able to save you."_

_Grinning triumphantly, Ed turned towards the door. With a wave of his gloved hand, he left the room. "Thanks…Bastard."_

_Roy grit his teeth and watched the teen walk out of his office. His mind began to wander, his thoughts on how anyone could wear pants that tight and not look like a moron, when Hughes clearing his throat brought him out of his stupor._

"_Yeah, sure you wouldn't make a good priest, Roy…" With that, he flashed his friend a knowing grin and left the room as well._

Roy hadn't known what his friend had meant by that at the time, but it now became all-too clear. With the recent issues with the church and their clergy with wandering hands, he was amazed he hadn't caught it.

_He called me a pedophile…heh, once again, Maes knew before I even did…_

He smiled sadly at the recollection of his lost friend. He imagined that perhaps the reason Maes had pestered him so much about getting a wife was only for the sole purpose of helping him realize exactly what it was he wanted out of life. That, perhaps, what he really had wanted all along was sleeping in the next room…

He tried to remember back to the time just after the Elrics had reappeared, but it all seemed hazy. He imagined that too was a byproduct of the passing years. He estimated that it'd been at least a couple years, since one or two anniversaries had passed since he and Ed had gotten together.

He blushed as he remembered that night, when he'd finally confessed to Edward exactly how he'd felt. He'd been hoping to do it subtly over time, but the sudden near-loss of the teen had almost caused him to follow Maes to the ground. That night, he'd gone to the blonde's hospital room, nearly dying from grief at the idea that he could lose the young alchemist before he'd ever had him; then, there was the night Ed had shown up at his apartment. He'd never expected that things would go so far…

But they had. And he'd never been so glad for anything in his life. It was more momentous than any promotion, more satisfying than any award had ever been. It was the thing that told him that what he'd thought he wanted was right. He loved Edward, and after that night, he'd be damned if he'd ever let him leave in any way ever again.

Looking in at the blonde still sprawled on the bed, limbs tangled in the stark white sheets, he smiled at how sweet the usually feisty alchemist looked. It was easy to forget sometimes just how old the young man really was. Still, even at almost twenty-one, he would say something or do something that reminded Roy of the young boy he'd met almost ten years before.

He set the washcloth aside and went into the room to sit and observe his sleeping angel while he still could. He sat carefully on the edge of the bed and moved his hand to sweep away a few stray hairs that had fallen in Edward's face. He was pleased when the blonde sighed contently and moved into his hand slightly, much like a cat would. Roy smirked at the thought of the prodigy's expression, were he ever to hear that.

As he realized that the young man was nuzzling a little too much for one who should be slumbering, he smiled.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked softly.

Edward smiled, eyes still closed. "Long enough." His voice was slightly groggy, so it couldn't have been too long.

"That's good, because otherwise, I'd probably have to kill you," Roy said teasingly, referring to his eye.

Ed's eyes opened slowly, his grin slowly disappearing as he realized exactly what Roy was talking about. Still, he couldn't believe the mark that was beginning to appear. He sat up, looking at his lover worriedly.

"Did I…?" he asked softly, letting the question hang.

Roy waved his hand, dismissing the subject and waving all blame from his younger partner. "Don't worry about it. It happens. I kept waiting for you to get me in my sleep. Now I guess you finally have…well, in your sleep, anyway." He smiled, trying to prove that he wasn't sore over the ordeal.

Edward sighed, still feeling guilty. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should start taking my arm off before we go to bed…"

Roy shrugged. "All that trouble for one small bruise? It's not worth it." He frowned as small worry lines began to crease the younger man's forehead. He knew how the blonde felt about his artificial limbs. He wasn't ashamed of them or anything; that didn't stop him from feeling like less of a person.

"Hey, look at me," he said, tilting the young man's face up towards him. "I've been through worse scrapes before. It's a tiny black eye. It'll fade. Don't worry about it."

Ed's expression turned from one of guilt to one of worry. "What if someone sees and asks you how it happened?"

Roy thought for a moment and shrugged. "If someone asks, I guess I'll just do what I always do when someone asks me a question."

Ed smirked evilly. "You mean, you'll glare at them, ignore them, and leave them to assume that Hawkeye finally lost it and gave you what you deserve?"

"Exactly," Roy said, nodding firmly. Finally, it registered in his head exactly what Ed had just said. "Hey, wait a minute, you little…"

But before he could do anything, Ed was up and out of bed, running down the hall without bothering to grab any clothes to throw on. Roy smirked and got up, slowly following him. He loved how Ed had seemingly made his life interesting overnight. He felt a pang of guilt at the thought that he'd been so busy at work that he'd hardly had time to spend with the young man. He hated how everything at work had gotten so busy, but what could he do? These were important matters to be handled, and when the military called, he'd made it his job to be there and answer. That had been his promise to Ed, the morning after he'd shown up at Roy's apartment unannounced.

"_Roy…" Ed said softly, frowning just a little and staring at a particularly uninteresting spot on the sheet. "This…changes everything, doesn't it? We can't just go back to the way things were…can we?"_

_Roy sighed, stretching his still-achy legs and wincing. A full night of sleep hadn't done him any good. He'd been too careless the night before, but it had been worth it. Ed was right there, beside him, and that's what he'd wanted._

"_Well…" he began slowly. "We could…if you wanted to. I could do that. I'll never be going back, because I just can't. But I could fake it, if that's what you want."_

_Ed's eyes widened in disbelief. "Roy…"_

"_I love you, Edward," Roy said firmly, looking Ed in the eyes. "I'll do whatever you want. If you want things to go back to the way they were, I can do that. If you want me to stay right here, with you, for the rest of my life, I'll do it. Just tell me what to do."_

"_Are you drunk?" Ed asked incredulously. "Because I think you are."_

_Roy shook his head best as he could. "I'm completely serious. I've never been so certain. I love you, Ed. I want to do what makes you happy, because I…I can never repay you for what you've done for me tonight. You accepted everything I gave, though I had no right to do so. Not many people would do that."_

_Ed felt tears accumulate in his eyes and his throat began to tighten. "I want…" He couldn't finish the statement, because he wasn't quite certain WHAT he wanted. "I want…" He looked at Roy, who just laid there, patiently awaiting whatever he had to say. It amazed Ed to no end. At that moment, for whatever reason, a man who could have and do whatever he wanted was at Ed's mercy. "I want…things to stay the way they are."_

_Roy looked extremely hurt, without actually showing it. His face was stoic, but his eyes spoke volumes. "Okay, if that's what you want."_

_Ed shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I meant…I want things to stay the way they are right now. With you. I want to be with you."_

_The older man looked taken aback, as if he hadn't been expecting that kind of response. "You sure?"_

_Ed nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Just…promise me one thing."_

_Roy nodded back. "Sure, Ed. What is it?"_

"_I want…I want you to stay in the military, to continue your work. They need you there, and I don't want to be the reason you stop doing what it is you're supposed to be doing. You're too important to them…the people who work under you…and I know things weren't the same when you were gone."_

"_You…found out," Roy said quietly._

_Ed shrugged. "I was wondering why everything had seemed so hectic, and Lieutenant Havoc sat me down and told me everything. He'd said that you'd demoted yourself and moved to an outpost in the North. He said he didn't fully understand it, that you'd said to Hawkeye that it was because you felt like you somehow deserved it, but he didn't buy that, either. He said it had something to do with the way things were at the time. Whatever that means…"_

"_I did it…because I'd failed," Roy admitted softly. I'd failed to stop the chaos that came from the uprising in Liore. I'd failed to help all those people who I'd hoped to save. I'd failed…my friends…and most of all, I failed you. I failed to protect you from those things you shouldn't have had to face alone."_

_Ed sighed, reaching over to brush hair away from Roy's forehead. He rested his hand there for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope, no fever. I guess you're just crazy." He laughed lightly. "Mustang, there are some things you couldn't ever help me with. I'm glad you weren't there. It was a mess, one I'd hoped to avoid. We were stupid kids who managed to get into a situation bigger than ourselves. In the end, we really didn't help anyone…not even ourselves…"_

_Not even ourselves,_ Roy thought as he walked through the apartment, pretending to look for Edward. _Maybe we weren't supposed to help everyone else. Maybe we weren't even supposed to help ourselves…_

He smirked as he reached the bathroom door and heard the sound of running water coming from the other side. He opened the door and was hit by a rush of steam. He walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He loosened the tie on his pajama pants and let them fall to the floor. Kicking them aside, he opened the steam-covered shower door to reveal a very wet and flushed Ed.

He cocked an eyebrow and glanced up and down the length of Ed's body. "You know, it's a wonder you didn't slip and knock yourself out from all that running. You know better than to run indoors, don't you, Edward?"

Ed grinned and winked at him. "Yeah, well, I'm not the one who has problems getting out of bed in the mornings, am I, old man? Sometimes I'm worried that you'll slip and bust a hip one of these days."

Roy smirked and quickly stepped inside, pinning Ed to the shower wall before the younger man could do anything. "Well, it appears that I'm not the slow one here. Guess I'm not such an 'old man' after all."

Ed's eyes shut as Roy began to kiss at his neck, quickly making his way down between Ed's legs. He gently kissed the inside of Ed's thigh before completely engulfing Ed's throbbing member. Ed bit back a moan and did what he could to try and keep from making too much noise. Roy had been getting a few noise complaints from the people who lived below him, and though it wasn't as if it was something Roy couldn't lie about (and sometimes cleverly so--one time, Ed screamed so sharply that Roy had shrugged off the noise complaint and said that sometimes he enjoyed listening to radio shows about the military and it was common to hear that sort of thing during war. Ed hadn't been pleased to hear the tone in which it was said, but he suspected that Roy was rather good at lying about things like that).

Roy drew back and stood, placing his hands on Ed's narrow hips and giving them a brief squeeze. His hands drifted up Ed's back, causing a chill to run up the young alchemist's spine and making him shudder. Roy bent down to Ed's ear and kissed the outer shell, running his tongue along the lobe and blowing. He laughed when Ed let out a tiny yelp.

"So, since you seem to think I'm so 'old,' maybe I should let you do all the work this time. I always have to wear myself out while you lie there and do nothing. Maybe your lazy ass should do something for a change."

Ed grit his teeth and glared at his older lover. "Oh yeah? Maybe I will, then."

Roy laughed, mocking Ed. "You think you can do that, tough man? I don't think you have the energy to do it. I think you're too _sensitive_ for such a demanding job."

Ed scoffed and pointed towards the shower floor. "Bend over and I'll show you how wrong you are!"

Roy tried hard not to laugh, despite the amusement bubbling up inside him at the brazen demand. He wanted to take Ed seriously, though he had a feeling he was going to end up wishing he hadn't. He had to admit, he was intrigued by Ed's certainty that such a thing was an easy task. Sure, the kid was a prodigy, but there are some things even the most adept of geniuses couldn't just do. This was one of them.

Still, Roy was Roy and curiosity always got the best of him.

He raised his arms above his head to stretch his muscles and almost mockingly bowed away from Ed. He wished he could see the expression on the young man's face. He was sure it was priceless.

And it was, for Ed's eyes nearly bulged out of his head and his left brow quivered just a bit. He should have known he could count on the colonel to call his bluff. After all, they didn't call it "playing with fire" for nothing. He clenched his fists to try and stop them from shaking, but it was nearly impossible. To say that Edward Elric had been intimidated before was understandable, for everything he'd gone through in his short life weren't things a normal youth usually had to deal with. However, to say he was intimidated at that moment wasn't just understandable: it was a vast understatement.

Ed was ready to faint where he stood.

Still, he was the infamous Edward Elric, and they didn't call him the Fullmetal Alchemist for nothing. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and approached his bent lover. However, his lack of nerve wasn't the only problem he had; he found himself, once again, falling just short of the mandatory height requirements needed to complete his goal.

_Damn his long legs…_Ed thought bitterly. He glanced down at his feet. _Or rather, damn my…not-so-long legs. _He frowned. _It's not like it's my fault! I mean, come on! Winry's been so busy chasing Al around that she hasn't even had the time to take an appointment and fix my leg. I'm still growing, after all!_

He began to calculate how long it had been since he'd seen either his brother or his friend. Sure, he'd gotten a couple of letters from Al, but they had gotten shorter as of late. It wasn't as if they'd grown apart or anything, there was just…not much to say. Ed was never one for writing letters, anyway. He'd written maybe once or twice to Winry when he and Al had been searching for the Philosopher's Stone, but other than that, he didn't write unless he absolutely had to.

That didn't stop him from missing his younger brother, of course. He thought about him often, wondering how he was doing, what he was doing… He couldn't really tell Al what he'd been up to, since he hadn't really done anything of merit lately. In fact, he'd been downright lazy lately. All he ever seemed to do anymore was sit around or run errands for Roy. It was rather troublesome, how he'd managed to get stuck with every little local issue there was, while other, less-skilled alchemists than he went out on the more important missions. What had happened to the days when he'd roamed free, constantly getting into very well-earned trouble?

When Roy finally realized that he'd been bent over for some time, and there was no awkward pain, he stood, turning to face Ed. He smiled when he saw the expression on the blonde's face. He was lost inside his head again. Roy could always tell when Ed was really trying to work something out in his head, because he always had this focused look on his face. Something was either bothering him, or he'd gotten distracted--probably the latter. Roy couldn't tell whether he should be insulted at having been forgotten, or flattered at having caused such complex thoughts that Ed completely forgot where he was. He guessed it would have to depend on the context of the thoughts Ed was lost in.

"What are you thinking about?" Roy asked softly, careful not to startle the younger man. The last time he'd made that particular mistake, he'd wound up on the wrong end of a transmuted automail blade.

"Hm?" Ed asked, blinking. "Oh, just Al."

Okay, he was definitely insulted. However, he wouldn't draw it out into a large ordeal, because it wasn't often that Ed brought up his younger brother, and whenever he did, it meant that something was bothering him. This was a problem for Roy. It had become a rule of thumb between the two of them: if Ed wasn't happy, Roy wasn't happy. Usually, Ed made sure of that.

"You must worry about him. Why don't you go see him, and Winry, in Risembool?" Roy asked, brushing wet strands from Ed's face.

Ed nodded. "Yeah, maybe." He glanced up at Roy, frowning. "What about you?"

Roy smirked and shrugged. "I'll just stay here, get some work done, maybe enjoy some rest without worry of getting _beaned_ to death in my sleep."

The younger alchemist glared at his older lover. While the man's sense of humor was rarely apparent, when it was, it never seemed to be in Ed's favor. "Very funny, Mustang."

Roy chuckled. "Oh, come on, Ed. It was just a joke. Here I thought you'd learned not to take things like that seriously."

Ed sighed. "Yeah yeah…" He quirked an eyebrow curiously. "So, you're just going to work, sleep, and lie about while I'm gone? Nothing else?"

Roy snorted incredulously, as if that was the stupidest question he'd ever heard in his life. "Why yes, Edward, whatever else would I do? Join the circus?" He shook his head at the expression on Ed's face. "For crying out loud, from the look on your face, you'd think that I planned on going on a _date_ while you went back home."

Ed's eyes widened slightly. He tried hard not to show how closely Roy had hit the mark, but he knew that the older man could see it. It wasn't difficult for anyone to see, even less so for someone who knew Ed as well as Roy did.

Roy frowned. "Edward…do you honestly think that I'd go on a date while you're gone?"

Ed bit down on his lip and tried not to make eye contact, as if afraid the older man would easily read his mind if he did. It wasn't that he didn't _trust_ Roy, but…well, the man had been known for being a complete flirt (and he didn't even have to _do_ anything!).

Of course, Roy had been especially good about avoiding women in general. In fact, it could be said that the only woman he came into contact for more than a minute was one Riza Hawkeye, though Ed didn't really count that, since it was work and the night that he'd gone to see Roy at his apartment, that very same woman just happened to be on a date with one man who'd been particularly famous for being somewhat of a dateless wonder. Yeah, it had been one huge shock to everyone when Riza Hawkeye began dating Jean Havoc, but Roy looked as if he couldn't be happier for them.

Of course, even Ed could see the logic in that: first, it got Havoc off his back about all the women he didn't get, which drew less attention to the fact that those women were now consequentially available and up for grabs. Secondly, it pulled Riza's attention away from Roy, which was incredible, considering the fact that just about everyone (including Edward) knew of her infatuation towards the dark-haired officer. Everyone else seemed to be waiting for Roy to do something drastic, like steal Hawkeye away from Havoc, but Ed knew better. At least, he thought he knew better.

He hoped.

"Ed…?" Roy called again, waving his hand in Ed's face, trying to get his attention. "Great, zoning out again. Edward!"

"Hm?" Ed asked, looking back up at Roy.

Roy sighed heavily. It seemed like Ed was constantly somewhere else these days. Of course, he knew that the young alchemist was prone to daydreaming, but it seemed to be more frequent in the past few months. Something was bothering him, and perhaps it was wise for him to go visit his brother.

He smiled and leaned over to place a kiss on Ed's forehead, though he knew how much Ed hated it. "You really do need to go see Al. Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I promise not to even so much as look at another person, male or female, in any provocative way whatsoever."

Ed couldn't help but laugh as he hopped out of the shower. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say, bastard."

Roy smirked and followed the blonde to the bedroom, where he began rummaging through his closet for something to wear. "No, really, I think it would be a good idea for you to try and go see your brother. I think you miss him and he probably misses you. It might be nice to see Winry again. I'm sure you probably wonder about how they're doing from time to time…"

"What's that, old man? Sorry, but I can't seem to hear you over the stifling of your stiff-collared shirts," Ed teased.

Roy sighed and stuck his head out of his closet. "You know, Edward, I'm not actually that much older…"

"Don't come out of the closet any more than that, people might talk," Ed continued, grinning. Sometimes he loved to tease Roy shamelessly. Of course, sometimes it got him into more than he bargained for, but then again, Edward hadn't gotten to where he was by playing it safe…especially when it came to Roy.

Roy emerged, wearing his work slacks and a white dress shirt--one Ed couldn't help but notice wasn't quite buttoned yet.

"What, didn't your mother ever teach you how to dress properly? Or does Hawkeye usually do everything for you?" Ed joked, reaching out and tapping Roy's chest lightly.

Roy grabbed Ed's outstretched wrist and pulled him close so that their bodies were flush against one another. He smirked and leaned over to Ed, gently nipping an exposed earlobe. He let his hand slide down to Ed's lower back, resting in the slight curve that began his backside. He paused for a moment, letting the idea swim around in his head for a moment.

_To pinch, or not to pinch…such a very tough decision. If I do, I'll most likely be late for my meeting at noon with Hawkeye…then again, she'll probably be late too…but I really need to try and set a better example for my men…but they're such good soldiers, do I really need to? Yes. I am the superior officer; I should always set an example, regardless of whether or not they follow it. Oh, but it's so tempting…_

He was thrown from his thoughts by the feeling of damp hair nuzzling into his neck. He couldn't help but almost laugh. Firstly, it tickled, but also, he couldn't help but remark at how much Ed looked like a kitten sometimes. This was one of those times.

"Getting comfortable, Fullmetal?" he queried, his tone light, with a subtle undertone of mischievous intent.

Ed nodded slightly, sliding his free arm around Roy's waist and nuzzling further into the crook of his neck. "Mmmhmmm."

Roy smirked, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits.

_Oh yes, to pinch indeed…_

He reached down and grabbed about an inch of Ed's ass and squeezed.

What followed was absolute chaos, just as Roy had figured. Ed jumped, gave a high-pitched chirp, and then glared at Roy momentarily before tackling him onto the bed. Roy, never being one to be bested, then began doing his utmost to cover all of Ed's secret ticklish spots. Ed roared with laughter, trying his best to kick Roy away, but it was to no avail--the Flame Alchemist was faster, especially with his fingers. They were getting quite carried away, knocking the lamp off the bedside table and nearly ramming Ed's head onto the wall, when there came a loud knocking on the door of the apartment.

Both froze completely.

**AH! Maybe I should have called this, "ALTMUF2: Return of the Cliffhangers!!!" Those of you familiar with my style of writing are probably going, "Oh good grief, here she goes again…" And you're right! Of course, if I didn't do this, how would I get such wonderfully amusing threats to have my breakfast foods eaten, or…or…whatever it is that my dear friend Michelle plans to do to me. She calls it "motivation," I call it "torture"… Ah well, c'est la vie!**


	2. An Unwanted Interruption

-1**A/N: I'M A TOTAL FAILURE. There. Now that we've got that out of the way… I just want to apologize for my uh…five month long hiatus. The second semester of my sophomore year at college literally beat me into a pulp my own mother barely recognized. But now I am back (!) and I plan on bring to you more wonderful chapters from the lives of our two favorite alchemists. If you want to let me have it, please do in a constructive manner. Actually, just as long as you leave a comment, I don't care if you tell me that my writing is complete dribble and that I as a writer deserve a swift kick in the pants. Remember, I love you to death and I want nothing more than to please you. Moving along now…**

Disclaimer: I guess there's a reason I don't own FMA. I have the worst ADD known to man and I've been known to neglect things. Oh, and I'm broke. Make that THREE reasons I don't own FMA. Good thing, huh?

Roy and Ed remained in their awkward positions, Roy's fingers deep in Ed's sides and Ed's foot halfway across Roy's face. Ed was panting, his chest rising and falling as if he'd been running a mile. Roy, on the other hand, was completely still, waiting for the sound of a fist being rapped upon the front door he knew was coming.

As if waiting for some kind of cue, the loud banging noise came again_—_this time, far louder than before. Roy winced slightly and removed his hands from Ed's sides, grabbing Ed's ankle and lowering it to the bed. He slowly got off the bed and glanced at Ed, raising a finger to signal that the younger should remain where he was.

As the knocking sounded through the apartment once again, Roy quickly took the time to button and straighten his work shirt, as well as fix the rest of his clothing before approaching the door. He opened it to reveal a woman; namely, his neighbor from below, Mrs. Sterne.

Ed grimaced as he peered down the hall, making sure he wasn't seen. He'd always hated the old lady that lived downstairs. He knew it was unfair to actually call her "old," since she was only in her early-to-mid fifties, but still, she acted like a stubborn old lady more than half the time. Everything about her looked stubborn: from the starchy clothes she wore to the way her silvery hair was pulled back in a tight bun, the woman was composed of complete discipline. Ed somehow seriously doubted the lines around her mouth were from smiling, as his mother would have had him believe. He was certain they were from all the frowning the almost-scary lady did.

"Well hello, Mrs. Sterne, what brings you up to see me today?" Roy said in a tone Ed recognized as the one the older man usually reserved for people he was irritated or becoming impatient with. It was a strained, polite tone that he generally used at work and during the occasions when Ed had done something that merited scolding.

"Don't act like you don't know, Mustang," Mrs. Sterne growled. "I don't know what you do up here to make so much noise, but my glass figurines were nearly rattling off their shelves! And don't you tell me it was some program you were listening to, because I'll have you know I don't buy that for a second…"

"Mrs. Sterne…," Roy began slowly. "I'm sorry that I'm causing such a ruckus and I hope I haven't caused any damage to your figurines, but I'm just running late for work, and I'm afraid it's made me a little clumsy; that's all."

The older woman didn't look entirely convinced. Her face scrunched up in scrutiny as she looked up and down Roy's being, examining him closely. She shook her head. "Well, Mr. Mustang, the best I can tell you is to try to be more prompt in your schedule. If you didn't stay up so late making so much noise with the loud company you seem to keep, you wouldn't be late in the mornings. Honestly, a grown man…you should be ashamed of yourself. I certainly know no son of mine would have such disgraceful behavior…" She turned and began walking down the hall, muttering sharply about Roy's "disgraceful" behavior unbecoming "a man of his stature."

Ed couldn't help but find it a little amusing that Roy had been scolded as if he was a small child instead of an adult. Still, he was slightly guilty that he kept getting Roy in trouble with his neighbors.

Roy sighed and closed the door, instinctively looking back where he knew Ed would be hiding to observe all that had happened. He nodded to indicate that the younger male could come out. Ed emerged, looking ashamed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know she was—" Ed began, trying hard not to look at his feet. He knew how much Roy hated it when he looked anywhere else but at the person he was speaking to.

"Don't worry about it," Roy interjected, walking by Ed and ruffling his hair to show how unconcerned he was about the whole situation. "You know how uptight Mrs. Sterne is. If it was up to her, no one in this building would so much as _sigh_ loud enough to hear. It's not she'd be able to get me evicted or anything."

Ed followed Roy around the apartment as the older man put on his uniform and combed his hair. He wanted to continue apologizing, but he knew it would only serve to irritate Roy, since they'd already had that conversation a dozen times before. Lately, he'd been trying to irritate Roy less, since he knew Roy was due for assessment to renew his state alchemy certification and the stress was bothering him. Of course, Ed knew he'd pass with no problems, but it'd been awhile since Roy had done anything even remotely alchemic, so the man was worried he'd gotten "rusty."

_As if that'd ever happen,_ Ed thought soberly. He'd often hoped Roy would soon retire from the military so he'd stop having to work so late. As time went on, though, it looked less and less likely, especially since Roy didn't seem to do anything differing from his everyday job. He had neither accepted promotions, nor said anything about retiring, saying he liked it "right where he was."

It was almost too insane to believe, given the ambitions Ed knew Roy once embodied. Sure, he'd never be able to achieve his ultimate previous goal of becoming Führer, but he could still make the difference he'd sought from a higher rank than he was.

Roy couldn't help but notice how Ed had stopped following him and looked back to see where the young man had stopped. He let a small smile slip as he made note that Ed was in his thinking position, his face reflecting his inner struggle with his thoughts. If Roy had his way, the metal-limbed alchemist would have stopped thinking a long time ago; it certainly would have spared them both trouble.

"Something bothering you again, Ed?" Roy inquired lightly, elbowing Ed in the side and walking away to search for his keys in the living room.

Ed looked up, unsure of how to respond. He wanted to tell Roy the truth, that he wanted him to consider retiring, but it still felt like a selfish thing to do. After all, what right did he have asking the great Flame Alchemist to leave his livelihood behind, and for _him,_ of all things? He didn't consider himself valuable enough to replace that which gave Roy purpose and asking him to choose between Ed and his job was completely out of question. It would be like Roy asking Ed to choose between him and his brother—a most impossible choice, if Ed had ever thought of one.

"Edward," Roy chided softly, wrapping his arms around Ed's shoulders. "If you let your thoughts weigh you down, you'll never get any taller."

Ed smirked at the thought. "I think we both know I'm done growing, Mustang," he scoffed, trying to appear offended. Truth was, he'd come to terms with the fact that he'd always be less in stature than Roy and Alphonse. He was just glad to be as tall as Winry, as being shorter than her would have been completely embarrassing. It didn't mean that he was exactly _thrilled_ to be as short as he was; he'd just learned to accept it. Still, it had become somewhat of an endearing joke between the two men.

That was something he'd realized more and more as time had passed: all the things that had once been so important to him—like his lack in height—no longer seemed to matter, and therefore, no longer caused problems between him and his dark-eyed lover. No, their discussions had a tendency to get heated when they disagreed, but they were no longer the all-out screaming matches (often one-sided, as Ed was the only one with the tendency to let his voice get out of hand) they'd once engaged in on a daily basis. The topics of their discussions had also changed, as they were now more concerned with things that involved them as a collective unit, rather than individuals.

It didn't stop Ed from wanted to win each battle of wills, though. As much as he had matured over the years, he still had a tendency to push for superiority in all things competitive. Of course, he had his moments where he didn't mind being the submissive one…

Roy could hardly help feeling a little impressed with Ed's growing maturity about things that had once sent him into a blind rage. "Perhaps," he said, breaking into Ed's thoughts once again, "but that doesn't mean I have to quit pointing it out."

Ed let out a slight laugh and turned around, making sure not to break Roy's embrace on him. "Well, as long as we're pointing out all things obvious, while I might not be getting taller, you _are_ getting older."

"Uh-uh, I know where this is headed," Roy interrupted with a smirk. "Don't fool yourself into thinking I'm getting too old to keep up with you. After all, we all can't be ten on the inside forever, like you, Ed."

"Psh, you might be getting _physically_ older, but I think we both know you're getting pretty young on the inside. In fact, by the time you reach…oh, I don't know, sixty…I'll probably be older on the inside than you will," Ed argued.

Roy's face lit up with his trademark all-knowing smirk. "I'm glad we're finally in agreement about something," he said victoriously, letting go of Ed and continuing the search for his apartment keys.

Ed's face fell. Once again, it appeared that though he'd won the battle of wills, he'd lost the war of wits. _I have to stop getting myself into these situations,_ he thought sourly.

His attention was brought back to the present as the jingle of keys rang in his ear.

"Found 'em," Roy said, sticking them in his pocket. "Although _how_ they got under the sofa is _beyond_ me."

Ed shrugged. "Maybe they fell out of your pocket when you attacked me yesterday."

"Attacked you? If I remember correctly, it was _you_, not me, Edward, who was doing the attacking," Roy said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well, you don't remember correctly," Ed said, crossing his arms and looking away, pretending to pout.

The uniformed man rolled his eyes. Scratch what he'd been thinking about Ed's maturity earlier. The elder Elric brother might as well have been the younger, with the way he looked at that moment. Roy shook his head and turned around, walking towards the door. He blindly waved behind him, signaling that he was leaving.

"I'll be back later. Try not to break anything," he said nonchalantly.

Suddenly, he was slightly pushed forward as the mass that was Ed attached himself to Roy's back, wrapping his arms around his torso.

"Why do you have to go? It's _Saturday,_" Ed half-whined.

"Yes, it's Saturday," Roy confirmed, feeling a small twinge of guilt at having to leave Ed alone for a few hours on a day when he'd shown signs that a small breakdown was headed their way. "But you know I have a meeting…I can't just call and tell Hawkeye I won't be coming. She has better things to be doing too, you know."

"I don't know if I'd call Havoc something 'better to do,'" Ed muttered into Roy's back.

Roy nodded his agreement. "True, but the point is that she would. I can't be doing things I'd expect those who work under me not to. It wouldn't be fair."

Ed pulled back, looking at Roy skeptically. "Since when have you given a damn about 'fairness'?"

"Since always," Roy answered simply, opening the door. He knew what Ed was up to; after all, it wouldn't be the first time he was lured into an argument by the blonde. It wasn't going to work this time, no matter how much he wanted to stand and bicker to the point of nearly breaking up (and the making up that quickly ensued). He had a thing about being there for the people he worked with, even if it was going to cost him a little peace at home.

"I promise it won't take long," he assured Ed. "Try calling your brother, make plans to go out and visit him. It'll be good for you." With that, he shut the door before Ed could respond. That was about the only way he got out of the apartment on the weekends. It was rude, he knew, and it wasn't something he liked doing, but it was something that needed to be done.

He just hoped that he could make good on his promise this time. They both knew that Saturday meetings could go both ways. Sometimes they were just brief meetings to discuss small things that needed dealing with before Monday, and sometimes they were long, drawn-out sessions about things that needed to be resolved but would take more time than Roy liked to spare.

Especially since he had another thing to deal with at home he _did_ want to take that extra time with.

_Please let this be a short one,_ he pleaded internally.

**Yes…I think _I'm _starting to get a little rusty. I'm not really pleased with how this one went, but I'm hoping it'll get better. I'm open to suggestions…**


	3. Mission Impossible?

_**A/N: Why hello all! I must say, I've been pretty surprised at all the reviews I've been getting. It's good to know that some people are still being patient with me. Heh heh…/sweatdrop. Seriously, though, thanks so much for sticking with me. I've been trying to get this chapter out right away, and I've already started on the next one, so that should be up soon. Oh! And noteworthy, A Lot to Make Up For has almost reached 400 reviews! It's absolutely amazing, given that it was my first serious attempt at a story. For first timers, that's not too bad! So thank you!**_

_**Thanks are due: Paon, Bar-Ohki, GreedxEd (I somehow knew you'd be one of the first to review…haha), animevamp727, Coelectichi, Meekah Greenleaf, Lyurii, KiboKi, simplyEarthian, Hikari Ice Angel, xkidrogue, xxBloodAngelxx, TayloWolf, XxXpassionatemuseXxX, Insane Slytherin, misabella, Suzuku90, -I-Love-Boy-x-Boy-, The Lady Morana, Xstarlight-dragonX, and Sophie!**_

_**Also, before we move on, I'm considering traveling to Denver for Nan Desu Kan, the big convention out in Colorado to see a friend and I was curious as to whether any of you get out that-a-ways (yes, I just said, "that-a-ways"). If anybody goes to that one, let me know! I'd love to meet the kind of people who can actually put up with the crap I write half the time. Haha. Anyway, enough babble!**_

_Roy opened the door to his office, revealing the entire body of his staff sitting around, waiting with nervous faces. He shot a questioning glance at Hawkeye who, for her usually passive face, was looking slightly nervous herself. He mentally let out a groan of frustration. He had a bad feeling that this wasn't going to go as planned._

"_Sorry I'm late," he apologized in his usual flat tone he reserved for work._

"_Whenever you're ready, sir…" Riza said, her voice somewhat uneasy._

_Roy sat at his desk and looked at the woman with slight uncertainty. This whole affair was starting to make __him_ a little nervous. Whatever had them all so riled up had to be bad, and was probably something he didn't want to deal with.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant," Roy said, nodding towards Riza. As much as he wanted to avoid whatever it was that had everyone on edge, it was probably something best dealt with immediately.

Riza quickly glanced over to Havoc, who then motioned for everyone to leave the room. As he ushered everyone out, Roy looked at Riza in confusion. Riza, in turn, looked at the floor, which was highly unusual for her.

After everyone had finally left and the doors were closed, Roy stood and fully turned to face Riza.

"Do you mind telling me what in the hell is going on?" he asked firmly. The usually steel-nerved alchemist was starting to feel a little nervous himself, and this, he didn't like. There was only one person who was allowed to make him feel nervous, and at that moment, that person was probably sulking on the sofa, reading a book and waiting for Roy to come home—something Roy had a feeling he wouldn't be doing as soon as he'd like.

"Sir, about your assessments…" Riza began quietly.

"Damn it, Hawkeye, just tell me. Whatever it is, tell me. I can handle whatever hoop I'm being made to jump through this week, but what I can't handle is how everyone seems to be tiptoeing around the subject."

Riza's expression suddenly became firm as she began to realize that Roy was right; though she was worried for him, it wasn't something that could be helped by letting him know just how nervous she actually was. It was true that he hadn't been active in his role as a state alchemist for a considerable amount of time, but it was also true that being a good soldier wasn't something one had to practice in order to continue to be so.

She hoped the case would be true for Roy as well. It was no secret that he'd become increasingly _domestic_ and as a result, had lost some of his ability to intimidate. But was the ability to scare others into obeying you really necessary? For some, perhaps, but for Roy, she knew it was always the respect and admiration others had for him that gave him an advantage over other leaders. Unfortunately, that was only the case for people who were able to have such sentiments. These days, it seemed that intimidation was the new way of getting things done and that respect and admiration weren't things easily earned…

Which was what brought Riza to the point she was at that moment. She'd never asked anything of Roy in her life, other than to be good at his job. That was _her_ job, but now, what she had to ask him, she was asking as a friend, rather than his comrade-in-arms. As the woman who had worked with him from the beginning, who had helped him build his career and ultimately destroy his dream, she'd never dreamed she'd ever have to ask him to do this…but it was in his best interest…

Sometimes, it was just best to understand when the end had come, and this was one of those times.

Roy just had to quit…before it wound up destroying more than his dreams…

He had to quit before it destroyed _him._

"Your assessments are coming soon, and it appears that you are not to be given a choice as to how you are to display your abilities," Riza said firmly, as she knew Roy would want her to, even though she felt like screaming at everyone and anyone in sight at that moment about the unfairness her superior had to be subjected to on a regular basis.

Yes, no choice was to be given to Roy as to how he would show the state the extent of his usefulness. It was cold, and it was unfair, but it had to be done this way. There was no rhyme or reason to it other than to punish the man who had assassinated the Führer—regardless of the fact that the man had been a warmongering Homunculus. Some people believed that it had been an act of malice, carried out by a jealous and overly ambitious man who had gone too far. Because of this long-standing opinion, though he was allowed to remain in his position, Roy was not to be trusted by anyone outside his own office. This was only so because the people inside his office knew better. They knew he would not come up with such an incredulous farce to justify his acts.

For as untrustworthy as he had seemed to some, there was no better person to rely on. Unfortunately, none of this seemed to matter, and his sacrifice to his country—the temporary loss of sight, his periodic resignation, and nearly the loss of his life—was all in vain.

Riza was just glad he had something to show for it. Had it not been for Edward's brief return, Roy probably never would have left his post in the North. Even though the boy had left almost immediately after, knowing that Ed was alive seemed to be all that the Colonel needed to get back into his job.

If only that had been all that was necessary to get things back to normal…

"So what am I to do?" Roy asked quietly, knowing the delicate nature of the situation and feeling guilty that he'd raised his voice to Riza. It wasn't her fault, after all. She was only the messenger of the bad news. It made sense that she would be uneasy. What didn't make sense, however, was the reason that everyone else had shown up on a Saturday…Havoc, perhaps, waiting for Riza would have made sense, but _everyone?_

"There's more to this, isn't there?" he asked tentatively.

Riza nodded slowly. "Sir…Colonel…Roy…"

Roy felt a chill go up his spine. There was just something in the way she addressed him so informally—in the office, no less—that made him intensely uncomfortable. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had the slightest indication that she might actually start crying, which would open up a multitude of problems.

The Lieutenant swallowed in an attempt to clear the lump that was forming in her throat. "I…think you should resign, sir…it would be better if—"

"Not a chance," Roy interjected before she could finish. "If I had considered quitting every time someone gave me a hard time around here, I would have quit a long time ago." He scoffed at the idea. "Hell, I would have quit soon after Ed became a state alchemist if I fled at the slightest sign of trouble! I certainly wouldn't have expected you to suggest such a thing, Lieutenant."

Riza frowned. Why didn't he understand that this was a much bigger deal than he could possibly withstand? If he failed, not only would this disqualify him for his state alchemy certification renewal, it could quite possibly end in his death. Certainly that possibility must've crossed his mind.

"It's not like I'm going to be forced to do anything ridiculous," Roy ranted on. "What's the worst they could do? Mustang, make a pretty sculpture? Mustang, make fire from water? Honestly!"

_Nevermind, _Riza thought irritably. _You forget he's just another stubborn man who thinks he's indestructible. You forget he already tried getting himself killed before, and nearly succeeded! Like this is going to change anything…_

"Well then, sir, you should be _thrilled_ to know that you're being sent North. I know how much you enjoy those long trips," Riza said bitterly, dropping the rather heavy file on his desk with a thud.

Roy let his eyes fall on the thick stack of papers on his desk. _North…why…_ He glanced up to look up at Riza, not surprised to see the stoic expression on her face. Still, he couldn't help but find the slightest indications of an "I told you so" forming on her lips.

"So now do you understand?" the Lieutenant asked quietly. "The reason you should resign…the reason you should quit…"

"Is it any wonder?" Roy asked, causing Riza to pause. "Rebel factions still exist in the North. Even though most resistance has been easily put down, it has gotten worse as of late." Roy picked up the file and opened it, browsing the contents. "Since I've been known as a combat alchemist, it makes sense I would be sent there, especially given my brief residence in the area." He smirked, though it really turned out to be more of a grimace. "Well then, it looks like I have no choice."

Riza started to protest as she realized exactly what this would entail for the colonel. "Sir, surely you don't mean—"

Roy nodded firmly. "Yes. I fully intend to carry out my orders. If I'm being ordered to report in the North, then I'll go."

Riza frowned. He still didn't grasp the gravity of the situation. Yes, rebel factions still existed in the North, and they were growing. At their current rate, they could easily overwhelm military forces stationed there—all the more reason to send someone like the colonel out there. It wasn't just a political move; it was a safe move…and a smart one.

Or it would have been, if it had been ordered a few years prior, in Hawkeye's opinion. If it had only been ordered a few years prior, she wouldn't have been worried in the least. However, given the colonel's inactivity in terms of any real combat and his lack of practice with his alchemy, it wasn't entirely impossible for him to fail. In fact, it was almost _likely,_ something Riza never thought she'd ever have to consider.

This was absurd. What had happened to his old notion that following orders for the sake of following orders was nonsense?! Nothing he was doing was like him at all. He wasn't the suicidal type; at least, he had no reason to be, given his current condition. Ed would kill him before he killed himself, that was for certain.

Yes, Ed…how could he just up and leave Edward? They hadn't been together long in terms of having a good, solid relationship (she was pretty certain they still had a few things to work on, but who didn't?), but she couldn't imagine Roy wanting to leave the younger alchemist for anything less than a damn good reason. So why was he so ready to jump on the "let's destroy Mustang" bandwagon? Any other time, she'd imagine Edward would be driving said bandwagon, but this time, he'd only get left behind. Was the colonel really _okay_ with that?

"But sir, what about Edward?" she asked finally, her voice just loud enough so the both of them could hear. Even though she had a feeling others knew—she knew none of the others waiting outside the door would ever tell, even if they did know—she wouldn't put it past Havoc to be eavesdropping, which he shouldn't do under any circumstances. She fought the urge to smile a little at that. They'd been together long enough, and still, he was worried about Roy stealing her girl. What he didn't know is that Roy had known longer than she had about Jean's feelings towards her, and that's why nothing ever came of them (at least, that's the excuse he gave).

Roy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He'd already thought about that; in fact, it was all he'd been thinking about since he found out where he had to go. He knew Ed wouldn't be happy about him leaving, especially if the sometimes-too-observant-for-his-own-good blonde got a clue as to where he was headed. Oh yes, if Ed even got the slightest suspicion that Roy was going somewhere dangerous, he'd no doubt transmute him to a rock so he couldn't go anywhere.

Of course, Roy knew that was ridiculous, but he didn't doubt for a second that the runt wouldn't try something akin to that. In fact, he'd bet his life on it. Even if he won that bet—and he would—he'd still lose the prize. Ed would kill him for sure.

He tried to shrug it off anyway. "He'll get over it. He's a big boy; he can get along just find without me."

Riza eyed him skeptically. "Sir, this is _Edward_ we're talking about here. Are you sure…?"

The colonel snorted. He couldn't help but find it amusing that no one ever said anything close to "but he loves you, he'll understand" when it came to Ed. It was as if everyone knew it was a futile thing to say, even if it was reassuring. Well, in this case, it wouldn't be too reassuring, considering he knew what would be waiting for him at home if he let the details of this little meeting slip. He had to keep quiet for now…try and keep the peace for as long as possible. There was a good chance he wasn't going to come back in one piece from this one, so he needed to make the most of his time at home while he could.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he answered with a small smirk. "It'll be all right, Hawkeye. Have a little faith."

"Hypocrite," she muttered, eyebrow raised quizzically. She still couldn't understand what the stubborn man had to gain from this endeavor; nothing, as far as she was concerned, but it really didn't concern her. Still, it just pissed her off that Roy was being so reckless. It wasn't like him, and that's what irritated her most of all. She sighed heavily, getting her superior officer's attention immediately. It just wasn't like her to express frustration unless she has a good reason.

"I just don't understand, Roy," she murmured, looking down towards the foot of the wall where it met the carpet. "I don't understand why you're being so damn stubborn yet _again_ and why you're in such a hurry to get yourself killed. I've known you a long time and even though things are different now…I don't think anything would make you change your principles, not even Edward. So what is it? Why are you being such…such a…such an _idiot?!"_

Roy stared at the woman for a few moments, completely baffled. It _really_ wasn't like her to have outbursts like that. They usually only happened when he was being too stubborn and running into danger that second, not when they were standing in his office, both completely safe from harm. Was there something she knew that he didn't? Or was it something else?

"Riza…" he sighed with a small frown, "you worry too much." He stood and embraced her—something he didn't do too often. In fact, she could only remember a handful of times he'd ever shown the least bit of affection towards her in the entire time they'd known one another. He couldn't help it this time; she was acting like such a _woman_ he needed to drag her back down to reality. He had to make her understand why he felt it necessary to go through with his orders.

"Why, Roy? Why do you think you have to do this? You know you don't have to…," Riza whispered as he held her.

"Because," Roy responded simply, stepping back to look her in the face. "I'm doing this because _I_ need to. I know it's dangerous, but I honestly wouldn't do it if I didn't think I could. I'll be careful. I'm not going to just run in there and get myself killed. Ed would never let me hear the end of it. He'd go and find a way to do a perfect human transmutation and bring me back just so he could bitch in my ear and kill me again."

Riza let a small smile escape at the thought of the small blonde resurrecting Roy and beating him to a pulp. He had Edward…that would be enough for him to be smart enough to keep himself from getting killed. She hoped.

Roy sighed with relief. The lieutenant was starting to act like herself again. He could swear that being with Havoc had turned her into a total woman, which meant that she'd be more apt to shoot him on impulse. From now on, it'd be in his best interests to step lightly around her.

"There," he said gently. "That settles it. Now, I think we should both get back to what we were doing before we had to come up here on a _weekend._ When was the last time either of us worked a weekend?"

Riza smiled and nodded. "Yes…" As she watched Roy walk towards the door, she called after him. "Sir, just be careful."

Roy turned and nodded. He then turned and opened the door, only to have Jean Havoc nearly land on him.

"Good grief, Jean…" Roy said simply, stepping over the fallen officer and into the hallway.

Riza shook her head at Havoc in frustration and then looked up at the now-retreating Roy. "Don't forget to be here early on Monday!" she hollered.

Roy simply raised a hand as he disappeared around the corner.

She smiled. She had no idea why she'd been so worried; the colonel would be just fine.

Wouldn't he?

**Yes…indeed…I have no idea what I'm talking about.**


	4. Edo, Phone Home

-1**A/N: Okay, I realized that the last chapter didn't turn out well. Apparently, is hating on my Microsoft works. Soooo, I guess I have no choice but to keep converting each chapter to rich text format. Wee. Sorry for not completing this sooner, but school started and has begun to hurt me already. Also, I got the fourth season of House and let me tell you, the last episode? Cried like a baby. FOUR times. I feel so weak…**

**Also, I am now completely CONVINCED that if there was a musical made for Roy and Ed, Katy Perry's music could serve as the soundtrack. Seriously. If anyone is curious, I can certainly justify nearly every single song to them. I think I might even make a series of icons for a few lines from each of her songs (unless someone else wants to; we all know how damn busy I can get…)**

**Anyhoodly-doodly (AH, I HAVE FLANDERS' SYNDROME!), thanks to: Paon, GreedxEd, The Lady Morana, xkidrogue, Sophie, and Invader Shawn. You're all fantabulastic. Okay, shutting up now.**

The glare off the slick black finish…the delicately twisting cord…the way the numbers seemed to mock him…

Ed was having a silent battle with the phone.

And he was losing terribly.

_Can call…can't call…maybe I should wait…no, I need to do this…_

He ceased his inner battle for a moment to actually weigh the pros and cons of his dilemma. It was hard for him to decide exactly what he wanted to do. On one hand, he really wanted to talk to his brother. On the other, he didn't want to sit and answer the onslaught of questions he knew would be coming. Besides, what would he say? What _could _he say?

_Hey Al, s'been awhile. How's it going?_

_Hey little brother, made any progress with Winry?_

_Alphonse, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for us…for it to seem like I…_

Ed grit his teeth and groaned into his closed lips. Somehow, nothing seemed right. There were so many things he wanted to say, yet there wasn't anything worth saying at all. It wouldn't matter what he said anyway. Nothing could make up for what had happened between them. It was almost as if they'd grown apart—the thing they once feared immensely—and neither of them seemed to be too bothered by it…well, not that Ed could tell anyway.

_Does that mean it doesn't bother me?_ he worried. _No, no, it's not that. We've just both been so busy. We both have work and our lives…he has Winry driving him up the wall, and I…_

He smiled softly, one side of his mouth lifting slightly more than the other in the way it tended to when he thought of his lover. In a way, it was his "Roy smile," since it so oddly resembled the smirk the older man often wore, except it wasn't paired with those "I know something you don't" features he also often wore. No, Ed had his _own_ expression for that one.

Yes, he had Roy—something he never thought he'd be able to _think, _let alone actually _say_. That alone was enough to keep him busy. Of course, he should have known. The man worked him to the bone at work…

Ed sniggered and shoved the perverse thoughts that came to mind out. It was funny how quickly he could be distracted by the man he was now practically living with. It was no surprise he'd never thought to call anyone else with all the running around Roy had him doing.

Still, that didn't excuse the fact that he hadn't even _tried_ to talk to Al in a considerable amount of time. Ed finally gathered his nerve and grabbed the phone, punching in the numbers he knew would connect him to the house in Risembool hard, as if to say, "You'll never beat me, phone, I have _fingers!_"

Of course, he'd never actually say that, as he knew it would cause anyone looking at him to consider putting him in a rubber room, but it was still fun to think.

As the phone rang for what could have been the sixth or seventh time (Ed had lost count during his mental battle with the phone) he considered hanging up, but he soon lost the urge as someone answered:

"Rockbell Automail, Prosthetic Limb Outfitters (1)," the familiar chirp only identifiable as belonging to Winry sounded.

Ed paused for a moment to take a deep breath. He was hoping to get Al on the phone first thing, but it looked like he was going to have to take some abuse first. This was going to be way tougher than he thought it'd be.

"Hello?" Winry asked uncertainly after a few seconds.

He cleared his throat. "Uh…hi…Winry," he greeted softly.

"Ed," Winry responded, sounding surprised.

_It's funny how one small word can change everything, _Ed thought grimly. There were so many things that she could have meant in that one short little syllable.

_Why Ed, what brings you to call? Need something again? Break your arm? Maybe it'll match your little brother's heart. As if you care._

Ed shook off his paranoia as Winry's voice rang in his ear again.

"Ed?" she repeated, getting impatient. "Edward, are you still there?"

"Oh, Winry, yeah…hi," Ed said quickly, snapping back to the present. "How are you?"

The mechanic let out a short laugh, muttering something akin to "such an airhead" under her breath. Ed grit his teeth, trying to remain patient with the one person who could help him make his lack of presence in his brother's life up to him.

"I'm okay," Winry continued. "Surprised you still remember we're alive, since you never call, never send us a letter or anything to let us know that you're still alive and haven't run off to another world, or worse…"

Ed smirked. Let the battle of wits begin. At least he might be able to win this one. He never could win any against Roy.

"Well, who could blame me for staying gone so long? It seems like every time I contact you, all I get is a lecture…"

"_Well, _if you called _more_ and took stupid risks _less,_ you'd get less of a lecture, now wouldn't you?" Winry snapped.

Scratch what he'd said about winning the battle of wits. He forgot that the rules of wit warfare didn't apply to temperamental women.

"Uh…I guess. So…how're things going with the shop? Make any big improvements to your arm model? Because I've been needing to get in so you can look at my arm and any upgrade would be great! Heh heh…," Ed said, quickly changing the subject.

Winry wasn't about to be fooled. "Edward, how…have you been taking care of yourself?"

The alchemist swallowed. He knew that tone. That was the "I'm about to go plunder the deep recesses of your mind and I'm going to find something I won't like" tone. It was the tone she specially reserved for him whenever she got the feeling he'd done something stupid enough…well, stupid enough to call her.

Ed laughed nervously before clearing his throat. "Of course! Like I said, I was just wondering how that new prototype was going because I've been needing maintenance and I know how you like to torture me by using me as your own little guinea pig." He frowned, glad that she couldn't see his face over the phone. He'd lied to her a thousand times before, but for some reason, he felt compelled to tell her the truth this time.

After all, it made sense. She'd been one of the few people he could trust in his life, and yet, he hadn't ever been able to trust her with any of his problems. He couldn't even tell her about the good things that had happened to him; not with all he knew. He knew she would _pretend_ to be all right with his and Roy's relationship, but he also knew her to be a pretty good liar when she needed to be as well.

_None of that matters,_ he reasoned with himself. _Before, you _had_ to keep things from her because it wasn't worth it to make her worry over things she couldn't help. It's the same now, isn't it? She won't be anything but miserable if you tell her the truth, and then you'll feel even worse. So do exactly what you always do: put on a big smile, feed her a big ol' lie you know she won't believe anyway, and go visit. She'll be happy enough just seeing you. Besides, it's not as if you're hiding something from Al._

His frown deepened; now _that_ would be something to feel bad about. Lying to Winry was one thing…lying to Al was simply unacceptable. Still, it wasn't like he couldn't tell Winry just a little bit…just enough to ease her suspicions as to his motives for coming home. It wasn't as if he had anything to lie about when it came to that, anyway. He really did need maintenance and he really wanted to see them.

Yes, he would be honest about that much. The "I'm so pathetic I don't want to admit I miss my baby brother" excuse would be more than enough to get her off his back—if it was even an excuse at all.

"Actually, Winry, I…I _want_ to come see you. Hard to believe, I know, but I mean it. You're right; it's been too long since I last came to visit, and the best reason to get out of here is to go for repairs, so why not?" he asked softly. "If you still want me to, that is."

He could practically feel her grin from his side of the phone and the tears swimming in her eyes were almost audible. Then again, it _was_ Winry—she was always so emotional.

"I'll be sure to let Al know you're coming home. He'll be thrilled," she said sincerely. "I'll even make sure that Grandma behaves herself and doesn't give you a hard time."

Oh, he knew that move. It was her attempt at fixing whatever it was she could think of that would keep him from coming home for good. Ed feverishly wished she could understand that it wasn't that anything was wrong, he just belonged where he was. The military had been a rotten fit for Alphonse, and it seemed doomed to ruin the elder brother from the start, but it was all he knew how to do.

He was stuck with it. Even after he left, he'd be stuck with it, because of the life he chose…the life with Roy, which, speaking of, he'd still had to discuss with her at length. Like he'd said before, the girl could be an outright liar if she absolutely _had_ to, and he figured that was a good of a time as any.

_Edward stood before the front steps, the toe of his boot making circles in the dirt. He hadn't meant to drag Roy along with him, but for some reason, he felt the need to. It was almost as if not bringing him was some kind of betrayal, not only to Roy, but to himself, and the people he cared for most. Being there without Roy would have felt like some kind of lie that he couldn't live down. He'd lived through the unintentional mutilation of his own mother and brother (which was how he saw it, no matter what anyone else told him), being thrown to one side of the Gate and back (twice), and he'd had to swallow those things down and bear them on his own. This seemed so different somehow…like it was something he knew he shouldn't have to feel ashamed about but did anyway._

"_So, he seems…you both…," Winry began first, attempting to make things seem less awkward. Unfortunately, it was a lost cause, since it only served to make things worse._

_That's when he said it. He said what had been on everyone's mind from the moment he'd shown up, Colonel in tow, without an explanation other than, "it's his job to baby-sit me, I guess." It wasn't that it was so much a bad lie…okay, it was a terrible one. Ed was practically a liar by trade, and that one had been one of, if not the worst he'd ever told. That's when they all seemed to understand (well, except Al, because he already knew full well by then what had been going on). The problem was, no one had confirmed it. It was almost like it was so completely absurd that someone had to say it before everyone could honestly believe it._

_And so he said it. He said it clear and without hesitation, because he knew that was what he owed her. She, who had been like a sister to him his whole life, had her parents taken from her by a man who hadn't wanted to in the first place, but she still felt betrayed by it. It wasn't something Ed took lightly, and was therefore all the more reason to tell her the truth himself. He'd tell her the truth and just hope that she'd understand._

"_We're together now," he said calmly, his eyes conveying what his lips had said without leaving gaps for her to draw her own conclusions._

"_Oh," she said, gently tugging at the hem of her shirt, examining it briefly like it was the most interesting thing in the world at that moment._

"_I can understand if you're…upset or pissed about it. I just…I wish I didn't, I really do, Winry. I get it if you don't want to talk to me again and I'm sorry for bringing him here with me, but I just needed to get it off my chest. I didn't want to hide this from you or the old lady, because it makes me…it makes me so damn happy I could vomit kittens and sunshine and it doesn't even bother me in the least."_

_Winry simply stood there, listening in that intent, aggravating way she often did, when what he really wanted was his Winry, the one that screamed and squealed and threw wrenches and made him fear for his very life. But no, that was the Winry of the past; this Winry was grown-up, though not too grown up, thank whatever forces allowed her to be that way. He just wished that she would be a little less grown-up than usual. He almost wanted her to yell at him, just so that he knew what was going through her mind. This Winry wasn't saying anything, just patiently listening as he laid his heart out on her front steps._

_Then, out of the blue, she did the damnest thing: she smiled. She smiled, from ear to stupid ear, and Ed felt the blush stain his cheeks, catching one side and spreading like brushfire over dried grass to the other. He'd sat there, doing the one thing she'd always wanted him to do; he'd been completely honest with her, one hundred percent serious, and all she could do was smile. Stupid as he felt, he could only smile back. It was the most (okay, he was exaggerating, but it was allowed, given the situation) important moment in his life, and they were just sitting there, like two dumb kids, grinning at one another. He felt like a kid again, only he was a kid with a really hot, very forbidden boyfriend._

_A very hot, forbidden boyfriend who was, at that moment, getting his pants beaten off him by Al at chess in the kitchen waiting for the verdict. Would Ed get to keep his head, or would he suffer death by wrenching? It was kind of important, since Roy wasn't really looking forward to having to explain why Ed had gone missing yet again. He didn't doubt for a second that she'd know a good place to hide Ed's body._

"_So you're…okay?" Ed asked uncertainly, slowing walking to join Winry in sitting on the steps, since the circle he'd been drawing with his foot was now a nice little hole…one he'd trip over sooner or later, no doubt._

"_Yeah," she answered, nodding. "Yeah, I think I am. I mean, everyone always assumed that you and I…"_

_Ed snorted. "Yeah, I know. Sorry to disappoint, but I seriously doubt we'd be any kind of good pair. You're crazy and I only seem to make it worse."_

_Winry grit her teeth and then grinned impishly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm short-tempered, and you're just sho—"_

"_Don't say it," Ed warned, cutting her off._

_The mechanic sighed, smiling softly. "Don't worry, okay? I'm not angry. I'm not even a little bit upset. Confused, yes, but you both probably have your reasons." She reached over and pat him on the head, much to his annoyance. He was about to comment on not being a dog when she cut in again. "You're happy. That doesn't happen easily, you know. Do you really think I'd be so awful as to ruin that for you by being petty?"_

_Ed stared down at his feet, frowning. That was exactly what he'd been thinking from the moment he'd shown up. He felt ashamed for not thinking better of her. He couldn't have possibly known how things would turn out, though. It was Winry, after all. He could never tell what she'd do._

"_Just…promise me that this was what you wanted," Winry said quietly, grabbing Ed's hand that had been lying in his lap and squeezing it._

_Suddenly, everything made sense: why she hadn't seemed surprised when he'd shown up with Roy, why she hadn't taken his head off when he'd made it clear they were together, why she was taking it so well…_

_His eyes widened as he looked over at her, carefully surveying her face, searching for answers he couldn't get with words._

"_You knew," he said plainly, surprised that he didn't feel panicked in the least. It was almost refreshing, thinking that she'd known all that time and had gotten some time to get used to it. On the other hand, he didn't like the idea that he'd lost so much sleep over what was turning out to be nothing at all. "How long?"_

_She shrugged, as if it was the silliest thing he could ask. "Oh, Al had his suspicions. Had to tell someone, didn't he?"_

"_Yeah, but how?" Ed asked curiously, trying to make sense of everything using what little reason still clung to him. "It hasn't really been that long since we've been back, and I happen to know he hadn't talked to you much before I'd told him. We hadn't even…"_

_Winry heaved a breath, having gotten the sense that this was going to be a long explanation. "Right after you left…and after Al started to learn from Izumi again…he went out, looking for you, became a state alchemist…" She paused, gauging his reaction before continuing. "Edward, we all thought you were dead. The only person who didn't was Colonel Mustang. He wasn't just guessing, he was certain to the point of complete stubbornness. It didn't take too many people long to figure out what was going on. He didn't just _want_ you to be alive, Ed, that man _needed_ you to be alive."_

_She frowned slightly as she looked him directly in the face. "I'm not going to lie to you. I hated the thought at first. I hated the idea…no, I hated that he could even feel that way towards you. But given the way I'd seen you treat him, and what Al told me, it all started to make sense. I figured…it was something you were going through, too. As long as it was what you wanted, I couldn't do anything about it, no matter how badly I might have wanted to."_

"_Winry…" Ed remarked softly in amazement._

"_I love you," she confessed, tears lacing the tone of her voice, "and I want you to be happy. Colonel Mustang…Roy…is a great man." Before Ed could interject, she continued: "Sometimes great men make mistakes. Who am I to hold one man's mistake against him? Do you?"_

_Ed felt the all-too familiar chokehold of guilt creep in on him, threatening to strangle him. Winry simply smiled and shook her head, as if reading his thoughts._

"_No, you don't. You don't hold it against him in the least. And as long as he's good to you, as long as you love him and he takes care of you, we have no issues."_

_No issues…I wish I could believe that,_ Ed thought sadly as he listened to Winry chatter on about everything she had to do before he arrived.

"I'll make sure to get Al to make me some parts so I can start on the new arm prototype I've been designing for you. I was going to wait until your birthday to give it to you, but who knows if you'll even be able to make it out here around that time."

"You've been designing a new arm for me?" Ed asked, surprised.

"Well yeah," Winry responded in a matter-of-fact tone. "The arm you have no doesn't suit you. You're not really doing the kind of work you used to, so you can afford the luxury of a lighter design."

"What do you mean, 'not really doing the kind of work I used to,' huh?" Ed asked incredulously. "I work plenty."

He could practically _hear_ the eyes rolling. "Yeah, I bet that desk gives you a real hard time."

Ed frowned. He didn't know what was worse: being insulted about his job, or the fact that it was true—not that he'd ever admit that.

_Damn Al's big mouth,_ he cursed internally.

"Winry, please. Do I look like someone who'd just go from active state alchemist to glorified desk monkey?" Ed asked earnestly.

"No," Winry admitted slowly. "But you _are_ the kind of person who would get harassed into being one." She snorted from trying to hold back a laugh. "Don't insult my intelligence, Ed, or at least not my source of intelligence. You can't tell me that Roy just _lets_ you run around and do what you want now, especially now that you don't have a decent excuse."

"Apparently not, since Alphonse seems to have told you differently," Ed said, unable to withhold the tone of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, apparently," Winry laughed. "So yeah, I'll definitely get on that arm and we'll see how it looks when you get here. _I can't wait_."

Ed tried hard not to wince at the sound of absolute _glee_ in her voice. After all, the woman wasn't above being a sadist when it came to her precious automail.

"Uh, yeah, I can't wait either. Let's hope it goes smoothly," Ed said uneasily.

"Hope it goes smoothly?" Winry asked, beginning to sound irritated. _"Are you implying that something made from my graceful and skilled hands wouldn't 'go smoothly'?!"_

"No, no! Of course not!" Ed said, panicked. "Ah, I think I left a book open in the bedroom. Roy gets so pissed when I leave them open like that. You'd think he loves those damn books more than me! Gotta go, see you in a week!"

He quickly hung up, wincing at the sound of "EDWARD!" coming from the other end of the line. He slammed the phone down, as if the very soul of Winry (equipped with wrench) would come through the receiver. He slumped back into the sofa, staring at the ceiling. He was glad he'd gotten that over with. There was no doubt he'd get a pounding when he got there. He hadn't even gotten to talk to Alphonse, but that was all right. He'd have plenty of time after Winry put him in the hospital. Now all he had to do was talk to Roy.

He just hoped that Roy still wanted him to go. That was another pounding he _didn't_ need.

Or maybe it was.

(1) See episode 23, "Fullmetal Heart": Winry answers the phone this way when Ed calls her to tell her he needs repairs to his arm after the events of Lab 5 (of course, she was expecting it, since she screwed up, but you know how that goes…).

**Ah, that's over. Can't say I'm not somewhat pleased with the result. After all, it is rather longish (and the next chapter is pretty long too…which I already have written, so look forward to that soon). Send me love, let me know you're still with me, even though I don't deserve it.**


	5. The Truth in Lies

**A/N: Hello again, and welcome to another edition of…well, whatever it is I think I'm doing. I apologize for the time it's taken me to type this. NINE PAGES WOO. I was wayyy too busy writing the next two chapters when I should have been paying attention to lecture. I guess I'll never understand the workings of socialism at this rate… Anyway, I feel all warm and fuzzy about this one. Not to mention that reading it makes me giggle, so at least I've amused SOMEONE already, even if it is just me.**

**THISISNOTMINE. I desperately wish it was, though. I'd break it up and share it with everyone. Like cookies, but yummier.**

**Thanks to…well, anyone who reads this, but specifically: Bar-Ohki, Silicate Spider, Paon, The Lady Morana, Invader Shawn, GreedxEd, Evil Pixies Are Yummy, and Sophie!**

Roy opened the door, sighing as he entered the apartment. He dreaded having to tell Ed about his upcoming "trip." He somehow seriously doubted the smaller male would be happy about it. He might as well walk into a powder keg with a lit stick of dynamite. It was essentially the same thing as walking into that living room and telling Ed that he was being sent North. The kid was hardly an idiot, after all. He knew what could happen to Roy in such a dangerous area firsthand—such things had happened to Ed himself many times. He glanced over at the blonde, who was sleeping soundly on the couch, a book resting over his face.

Of course, "sleeping soundly" was somewhat of a contradiction, considering the fact that it sounded like _thunder_ beneath the pages. Still, Roy couldn't help but smile at the little storm-maker lounging on the sofa. He walked over, taking care not to make too much noise. He wanted to enjoy the rare opportunity to observe Ed when he was peaceful. He gently lifted the book off Ed's face, peering underneath to reveal one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

He'd never told Ed just how beautiful he was. The steel-limbed alchemist would have been in an uproar over being called a title usually bestowed upon females. He really _was_ beautiful, though; nothing could ever change Roy's views on that. Ed was his golden angel, the only thing in his life that made sense anymore. It—their relationship—was undoubtedly the best and also the worst thing to ever happen to him. He loved the little loudmouth with all his heart and found that he'd had to call upon every ounce of will he had to refrain from screaming it to the entire city. Part of him almost wished he _had_ let the Elrics resign. It certainly would have made things easier.

After all, age was no longer such an issue and it was hardly a secret that Roy was prone to being a lover of both men and women alike. As long as it didn't interfere with work, it was fine. However, as long as Ed was in the military, it would interfere with work, and that was definitely _not_ fine.

Ed's eye twitched slightly, drawing Roy's attention. Yes, it was definitely better to focus on the current issue: how to tell Edward that the military was trying to kill him—again. The other mess concerning the secrecy of their relationship could wait for a later time. He'd deal with it when he got back; and he _would_ be back. He'd lived through his first month of basic training, war, and the first few months of his and Ed's relationship (which was really like basic training and war thrown together). He'd be damned if he'd be killed by anything less.

The lid of Ed's right eye fluttered open slightly and his eye focused on Roy. The corners of his mouth turned upward slightly.

"Hey," he greeted softly. "Took you long enough."

Roy smirked. "Well, you know how it goes sometimes."

Ed snorted in amusement. "Yeah, I know. You're lazy all week and Hawkeye pins you down about it on the weekend."

The older man laughed softly, causing Ed's smile to widen to a grin. Roy smiled back fondly, crouching down and brushing Ed's bangs out of his face.

_God, please don't ever let him change. Take my title, my home, my hair, my sight, my life, but don't ever let him change._

Ed raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What's with the gooning? You're turning to mush and it's not even our anniversary."

Roy rolled his eyes. No matter how many times he thought the young man was growing up, Edward somehow managed to occasionally remind him that he was still the same little brat he'd had to chase down the river outside of Resembool.

"Is it wrong that I want to appreciate you once in a while?" he asked.

"Uh, if you want to 'appreciate' me, you'd work harder during the week so you could spend all day gooning at me on the weekend," Ed complained.

Roy shook his head, getting to his feet. He took off his jacket and hung it up before stalking off to the kitchen. "You know, Ed," he called out towards the living room as he started to search the cupboards for something to make for lunch, "I'd say you have a point there, but then I'd have to point out that weekends apparently aren't _that_ important to you, since you usually spend the entire two days whining and starting arguments."

He paused, waiting for the usual cry of outrage, but it never came. As much as it puzzled him, he didn't go in to check on Ed. That would only make things worse. He started to worry after a few moments of silence before he heard uneven footsteps and felt arms wrap around his midsection.

"You're right," Ed conceded softly. "I'm sorry."

Roy let his fingers skim over the knuckles of Ed's flesh hand, intertwining their fingers. As he felt Ed's head relax into his back, any words he'd thought of to throw back at the boy quickly died in his throat. Unfortunately, they took all words he'd had to say about his mission as well.

Those same words were kicked back, beaten, and set on fire as Ed gave his hand a slight squeeze and murmured words that sounded suspiciously similar to "I love you" into his shirt. Roy smiled and released Ed's hand, turning to face him without breaking their embrace.

His face quickly took on the arrogant expression he often wore as a mask against people at work. It was an effective mask, given all the years it had fooled everyone. It served a great other purpose as well. No one ever questioned the arrogant ass he'd pretended to be (sort of), versus the repercussions of keeping to himself. The quiet ones were always the ones to worry about…hence his ease with Ed. This mask also did another wonderful thing, though it was less intentional than the other things: it did a great job at pissing off one easily irritated Fullmetal Alchemist.

"I didn't quite catch that," Arrogant Ass Roy said smugly. "What did you say?"

A blush quickly began to stain Ed's face. His eyes darted down towards his feet.

"Nothi—" he began, quickly cutting himself off, as if realizing that denial would only serve to worsen his predicament.

Roy grinned and pulled Ed closer to him, holding him tightly. Sometimes the kid was so damn cute it nearly killed him.

_No, not kid, _Roy reminded himself for the millionth time. _He's not a kid anymore; he is a _man_ now. He's no longer that kid who sparked a thousand infatuations, so you need to stop treating him like one._

"Love you," Ed said, his voice still slightly muffled. "Bastard."

_Okay, maybe just sometimes…when he acts like one, _Roy said to himself, amused.

"Me too," he responded honestly. "Forever and ever."

Ed smiled up at him, his eyes shining at Roy like his own personal sun. It was such that made it impossible for Roy to lie to him any longer (no, not lie, just withhold information…which was still lying in Ed's eyes, unfortunately), but as he started to tell Ed about his assignment, he was abruptly cut off.

"So, that means you'll grant me the time off so I can go visit Al and get my arm fixed?" Ed asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

His sweet demeanor threw Roy off completely. Was he, Edward Elric, winner of the "Biggest Pain in Roy Mustang's Ass" award ten years running, actually _asking_ for something?!

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in his face and an uncertain call of "Roy?" He glanced down into the face of a very worried Ed.

"You okay?" he asked lightly.

"Sorry," Roy apologized. "For a second there, I thought I was dying and my oxygen-deprived brain was tricking me into thinking you were actually being _polite_ for a change."

A fist quickly collided with his shoulder—a very solid, automail-esque fist. He grimaced in pain and rubbed his now-sore shoulder.

"Well, that was uncalled for," he remarked.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Hardly, Mustang. I think it was _very_ called for. And you call _me_ childish."

Roy rubbed his shoulder until the pain subsided and heaved a sigh. He'd _thought_ they could spend a nice, quiet evening together, to serve as sort of a "calm before the storm" kind of thing. He _should _have known better; Ed had always been the "forget the calm, bring on the storm" kind of person.

_Oh well. It can hardly be helped, _Roy resigned to himself. _Better get this over with while he's still irritated so I don't have to deal with his attitude twice._

He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Sure Edward, take all the time you need. It actually works out better for me this way, anyway." He turned away from Ed, resuming his previous task of searching for a decent lunch.

"Why? Plan on doing anything _special_ while I'm gone?" Ed asked. The "you cheating bastard" hung off the end of the question like a silent drip of poison ready to kill anyone and anything who scorned him.

_Not much of a question, _Roy thought. _Can't help but give the kid credit, though. It's not his usual move to forgo attacking directly. Either he's learning to curb his tongue, or I might actually wind up dead this time._

Still, an accusation was an accusation, and an unfounded one at that. First of all, Roy Mustang might've been a bit of a playboy at one time (until Ed had completely ruined him by just being _Ed_), but he had never been a cheater. Had he ever found someone worth being attached to (who wasn't Ed), he would have been just as faithful as he was now (lies, all lies…he wouldn't have been quite the slave he was to anyone but Ed. He would have loved them, yes, but he never would have been so utterly owned by them). That little brat had no idea just how little he had to worry about Roy keeping so much as his eyes to himself. The old adage "taken, but not blind" didn't apply to him in the least. Ed had made him deaf, dumb, and blind to anyone but him. Roy hadn't looked at, flirted with, or thought of anyone since he'd decided to pursue things with the younger male.

Okay, maybe he hadn't looked at or thought of anyone else. He couldn't help flirting; it was not only in his nature, it was part of his public persona. If he'd stopped being himself, what would people think?!

_Like you care,_ Roy's inner Hughes chimed.

_Psh, I care,_ Roy argued back. _I care enough to keep this under wraps. I could care less about what would happen to myself. Ed doesn't have the ability to keep his temper under control when it comes to ridicule._

"So?" Ed asked impatiently. "You didn't answer me. Just what are you planning to do while I'm gone? Maybe take a little personal time, catch up with old _friends_?"

_Okay, you little brat, that's enough. If you want to plan this game, I'm fine with it, but you'd better be prepared,_ Roy warned him mentally._ Because you may have me tamed, but I am far from whipped._

It was a bold-faced lie, Roy knew, but he'd never admit that to himself.

"Actually, I won't be here either," he answered flatly. "I'm going out of town for some work and I was worried about not being here to keep your ass out of trouble. I guess I don't have to worry now, since Al and Miss Rockbell are more than capable of watching over you." He turned and left the room, suddenly bereft of appetite.

Ed simply watched him go, his mind racing. _Work? Since when does he go anywhere for work anymore?_

He quickly followed Roy down the hall and into the bedroom. He wanted to ask more about Roy's "business trip," but he was still sore from their little spat a few minutes before. He hadn't meant to sound like an ass; it just came out that way.

_No, you've been thinking that all along, haven't you? _the ever-present inner voice suspiciously similar to the one of Alfons Heiderich sounded.

_No!_ Ed argued silently. _That's not true! I…I have reason to believe…that he'd…_

_Old habits, huh? _Alfons chirped. _Kind of a weak argument, don't you think, Ed?_

Ed remained silent and watched as Roy gathered clothes and laid them out on the bed next to an open suitcase. Though he knew Roy was just packing for his trip, he couldn't help but notice that the man was packing enough to last him much longer than a long weekend.

_Oh great, you've really done it this time,_ Ed thought to himself in shame. _He's so tired of your childishness he's leaving _now._ Or is he__…would he really…is this…the…_

_That's a stupid question, _Alfons scolded._ He's just packing now while you're both angry so you won't have to watch him pack later. It's easier this way. He'd much rather spend time with you when you're both in better moods._

_You're starting to sound more and more like Al all the time…the idiot,_ Ed remarked, slightly amazed at how easily his mind merged the two Als. _He always seems to think of Roy as some kind of noble person…even when he's being a total bastard._

_Don't you think that's a bit unfair, Ed? _Alfons queried. _After all, you took the man, spun his world upside down and back again, turned him into a total Ed-worshipper, per-usual, and then you accused him of being a philanderer. You belittle him by trying to analyze his feelings towards you and put them in some kind of category like some kind of formula you can learn and dismiss!_

_Ohhh yeah, definitely too much time with Al,_ Ed said internally, half-amused.

_It's your fault, you know. I _am_ in _your_ head, after all…_

Ed smiled slightly and walked up to Roy, taking the shirts from his hands and laying them on the bed. He wrapped his arms around Roy's waist and squeezed.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking Roy directly in the face, surprising him. "I know what I said was unfair. I can be a complete child and a total bastard sometimes and you shouldn't have to put up with me and I just don't know why." He frowned at the floor before raising his eyes to meet Roy's again. "You have to…please, understand where I'm coming from. This is my first…my first real…and I…I don't…" He bit down on his lip. "I don't want to screw this up, okay?

Roy examined him carefully as he spoke, waiting until he had completely finished before replying, "You act as if I'd actually _let _you."

Ed's eyes widened in surprise for a few moments before he smiled softly at the man before him. How could he doubt him when he acted so…so…

_Don't you dare say 'noble,' damnit, _Ed warned himself.

No, not noble…so completely _Roy_ that Ed had a hard time understanding how he'd ever be able to be independent (i.e. be without the bastard who drove him crazy on a daily basis but could still claim to be loved by him at the end of the day) again.

Yes, it was all too easy to doubt the man, especially given Ed's expertise on doubt and cynicism. Still, those things, while useful in science, alchemy, and dealing with those outside his inner circle, did not belong in a relationship—especially not one as delicate as theirs.

"So you decided to go spend time with Al after all, huh?" Roy asked curiously, all hints of previous irritations gone from his face.

Ed nodded slowly, searching the man's expression carefully. It wouldn't surprise him if the man had some kind of horrible torture waiting for him. "Yeah…I talked to Winry today and it seems like something I should do." At the risk of putting himself out to be ridiculed, he added, "I miss him. It seems like he has this whole other life I don't even know about. I hate myself for not even trying…"

"Whatever for?" Roy asked, cutting into Ed's self-loathing. "Ed, you didn't think you boys could stay together forever like you were, did you? No, you couldn't possibly. Al's becoming his own person and it's good for him. It's good for both of you, whether you think so or not. He can't always be following you around and you can't really expect him to. It's part of life." He put his hand up to Ed's mouth as he heard the stirrings of an argument bubble up between the young man's lips. "Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't try to spend time with him, or keep in touch. I'm just saying giving him some space to find himself is good for him. The trick is to find a good balance between giving him space and what you'd consider abandoning him."

After a few moments, Ed sighed in defeat, "I guess you're right."

Roy shrugged. "Aren't I always?"

"No," Ed answered flatly, giving him a look. His eyebrows raised when he suddenly remembered the topic of discussion before. "You said you had to go out of town for work. What have they got you doing now?"

_Oh no,_ Roy thought, his eyes diverting to the side. _Wait, don't panic. He's like a damn dog; he can practically smell fear. If you make this seem like more than it is, it will become worse than it actually is. If he thinks it's too dangerous, he'll drag on your leg until you have to practically pry him off and then you'll hate yourself for it. Just remain calm._

He sighed in exasperation. If Ed didn't kill him, all the lying would. He'd gotten used to not having to lie all the time, especially to Ed, so it was no surprise he was getting a little rusty.

He cocked his head to the side in mock indifference. "Who in the hell really knows? I certainly don't. I just go where I'm told."

"Mustang," Ed warned in a low tone. His tone was solid and quiet, but it spoke volumes. It really said, "Lie to me, hide things from me, and I'll make sure you regret it."

Roy frowned, turning from Ed and sitting down on the bed, his hands resting on his knees. He hadn't wanted to tell him like this, but if he really wanted the truth…Roy really had no choice. He had to tell Ed the truth, no matter how much it bothered him.

"I've been…assigned to go North. Apparently, there's still a strong bit of conflict in the area and insurrections have become insurmountable. It seems that since I'm so well-traveled, I'm in great demand. After all, I was once stationed there." He ignored the accusing "and you never told me?!" glare he was getting from his lover and continued: "I'm to assist troops stationed in the area, and in doing so, I will have renewed my state alchemy certification. I'm getting a good deal, since this mission is allowing me to do both my duty as a state alchemist and as an officer of the military."

A long, intense stillness settled between the two men until the younger finally spoke:

"So you're going, then."

Four words. One more than the ones that had brought Roy's world to a crashing halt, but the effect was surprisingly similar, though it seemed to be to the opposing end. The way he'd said them was so accusing, so completely _bitter,_ Roy almost faltered.

Instead, he gathered all resolve and answered as clearly as possible.

"Yes, I am," he said quietly, but firmly. "I have no choice in the matter."

"Like Hell," Ed spat, and Roy once again saw a brief flash of the Edward he'd known pre-disappearance. It was enough to make his heart sink into his toes.

"Ed," Roy said calmly, suddenly feeling the need to justify his actions. "I really don't have a choice. What would you have me do?"

"What do you think, Mustang? Don't go," Ed growled angrily. "The way you strut around like a damn peacock, you'd think you _owned_ the place, and now you're telling me you have no choice? Just how _stupid_ do you think I am, anyway?"

"I don't think you're stupid," Roy reassured him. "You're almost too damn smart for your own good sometimes. Please, try and understand. If I turn this down, not only do I lose my state alchemy certification, I could also get taken down a few pegs. Hawkeye's already talking retirement, and I'm not even half as old as some of the officers I know."

"Might do you some good to get knocked off your high horse," Ed commented bitterly.

Roy suddenly couldn't help but feel like Ed had somehow managed to channel Riza, which was entirely possible, given the fact that the woman had amazing range of influence.

"So Hawkeye thinks you should retire, huh? And?"

"And I don't know," the colonel answered quietly. "I mean, it seems absurd. Me, retire, like I'm some kind of old man or something."

"You are, but that's beside the point," Ed said humorlessly. "I think she's right, Colonel. It might be time to hang up your rank and do something else with your life. We both _know_ this is insane, and we both also know you can't be in the military if you weren't both an alchemist and a high-ranking officer. It'd be beneath you." He sat next to Roy and grabbed his hands. "I'd much rather have you lying around here on the sofa than in a box underground. It would kill me, Roy."

Roy looked at Ed as he spoke, caught up in his blatant honesty. Sure, he'd been honest before. He'd worn his honesty and used it like a blunt, blinding weapon in the past, but this was starkly different. He could have smacked Roy with a toaster and left him with a clearer mind.

Right now, said mind was swimming. One more smack with the toaster of honesty would drown him, Still, he couldn't clear the words from his mind.

_We both _know_…_

He hated that part worst of all. Not because it was insulting, but because Ed was _right._ Roy simply could not be in the military and not be a state alchemist. He also couldn't imagine not being in the military. Sure, someday, he hoped to truly settle down with Ed and live a life away from the chaos that had ruled their lives, but not now.

And Ed saw it. He knew the answer before it left Roy's lips.

Still, he'd had the decency to at least wait until _after _he'd said it to storm out.

"Ed, I'm sorry. I just have to," he confessed softly.

The slam of the door was his only response.

**So, what's the verdict, fan girls and boys? Are we feeling all warm and fuzzy? Let me know. There are cookies to be given.**


	6. The Great Office Battle

**A/N: Okay, so I seem to have made a mistake. No, I'm not going to tell you where it is, but cookies go to the person who can point out my singular flaw in consistency. Anyway, as I re-read and realized my mistake, I also realized that while my grammar is of good quality and my vocabulary is extensive, I have been going without a beta for some time. While I recognize that I'm okay without a beta, I also know that I'd much rather have someone's input before I just shove my chapters out to the unknown (and how wonderful you've all been doesn't seem to make that a big problem, but still…). So, if anyone is interested in doing some beta work, let me know. I, of course, do not hand this kind of thing out to just ANYONE. I know, that sounds elitist, but I've had both good and bad betas in the past, so I know what I'm looking for. I'm looking for someone who can read over a chapter pre-posting and see if there's anything I could add to make it better. Like I said, grammar isn't so much an issue. I wouldn't be much of an English major if I didn't know spelling and punctuation. I need someone to tell me if something sounds a little off, if I stray out of character, or if there's just something that would make the chapter better. If you've done beta work before, feel free to let me know. I like to know that I'm working with someone who knows what they're doing (grin).**

**ANYWAY…serious bit aside, I am verrrry pleased with how this chapter turned out. I've been surrounded by crack the past couple of weeks and I think I might've been just a tad influenced by it. Ah, but I've said too much already. Read. Let me know if any of you fell out of your chair like I did (from laughing, not because you're a klutz like me…XD)**

**Disclaimer: I no has FMA. HOWEVER, someone DOES, and that someone loves us enough to grace us with another series (or so I've been told). I has delicious combos, though, if someone wants them. Nomnomnom.**

It was quickly getting to be the longest week Roy could remember. He had the slightest suspicion (though it wasn't so much a suspicion as an almost certainty, for Roy was _always_ right) that Ed was taking refuge at Riza's--a suspicion confirmed on Monday when Riza entered the office and shot him a brief, "I hope you know how bad you screwed up" look.

It almost made him feel relieved, knowing Ed was somewhere safe. After Ed had run out on Saturday and had not returned Sunday, he'd started to worry.

However, by Tuesday, he was just frustrated. It seemed that Ed's forces were gaining strength with each new ally he garnered. Not only was Riza frigid towards him (more so than usual), but Breda had began to not-so-subtly frown at him when he thought Roy wasn't looking. Somehow, that didn't surprise him. He knew Breda was loyal, but when it came to choosing sides in any argument Roy and Ed seemed to have, Breda always sided with the younger man. It wasn't so much that he liked Ed better…he just knew it would frustrate his commanding officer, which was always amusing.

By Wednesday, Falman had joined the rebel alliance. When he began frowning at Roy (not that he could actually tell--it was just a feeling he got), the colonel felt his nerves stand slightly. It was very unsettling (and so he sent him off to organize something every chance he got).

On Thursday, Havoc began shooting him dirty looks, but for another reason altogether. Since Ed had left Roy with his heart around his knees on Saturday, his residence with Riza had been a giant blockade to Havoc's love life. He was not happy in the least to be reminded of his bachelor days, but until the great office battle of the week was over, it looked like he was stuck. After all, there was nothing more powerful than the female bond, and Ed had found such a bond in Hawkeye. It was hardly difficult, since no one could think of any two people who had suffered more anguish at the hands of Roy Mustang than the two blondes. Apparently, hell hath no fury like a woman (and Ed) scorned.

Friday was the worse day in Roy's life, he was certain. Apparently, his lover was very good at stirring the masses into sympathy (so _that_ was how he managed to sway all those people…Roy should have known). By that time, even Fuery (no, not Fuery!) was starting to show signs of abandoning the Good Ship Mustang in favor of Team Elric. The only person left on Roy's side was Havoc, who by that time was so disgruntled at being displaced from his love nest, he threatened to bed Roy if he didn't fix things fast. Roy, by that time was getting so lonely that he almost took the man up on his offer. _Almost._

Saturday morning, Roy woke up (alone), though his body didn't recognize itself as being the only thing in the bed. It was only after a few misplaced gropes to a pillow that Roy shot out of bed, dialed Riza's number, and offered his unconditional surrender.

No one was more overjoyed that day than Jean Havoc.

Roy found himself opening the door to one tired-looking Fullmetal Alchemist, accompanied by Riza, who was looking pretty peaked herself. After shuffling Ed into the bathroom for a shower, she returned to the living room to speak with Roy.

"Sit," she said firmly, pointing to the sofa.

Roy did has was commanded, suddenly understanding why it was her dog was so obedient. Apparently, military dogs were no different.

"Sir," she sighed, sitting beside him, "I know my opinion doesn't really amount to much--"

"Yes it does!" Roy argued, but was silenced as Riza held up a hand.

"You're going to do what you want, regardless of whether or not I agree. I've accepted this time and time again, and that's fine," she explained. "But Edward doesn't understand you in that way."

_Like I do_ hung in the air between them, unspoken.

"And…you might have to take care to make him feel like you're not just disregarding his feelings about your safety," she continued, hesitating. "He cares about you and just wants you to take care of yourself."

"He seems to be in some confusion as to my intentions regarding my own safety. I don't _want_ to do this; I _have_ to do this," Roy argued.

"You don't _have_ to do anything," Riza snapped back, surprising Roy. She cleared her throat. "Sir, I don't question your ability to make sound decisions for yourself. But if there's one thing I've learned from my time working for you, it's that you have a tendency to be a little…_stubborn_…at times. I also know that you can be quite the hypocrite, especially when it comes to Edward."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Roy asked, eyebrow twitching.

"Well, for one, you don't let Edward do anything remotely dangerous anymore. He sits at that desk, rotting away and wasting his talents. He does that for you, but you don't seem to want to do the same. Excuse me for saying so, sir, but for someone who used to work hard for change, you don't seem to want to do much changing yourself." She crossed her legs and leaned back into the sofa. "I know it might be hard for you, but you must consider your options--_all_ of them."

Roy frowned, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hands. He knew she was right; hell, he knew she was right when she made the argument the first time. He was lifted out of his thoughts when Riza rested her hand on his shoulder.

"You can potentially die a hero of the military or rest in assurance that you'll grow old with the one you love. Think about it…sir," she murmured close to his ear as she got to her feet. He watched her walk over to Ed, who had padded in quietly from his shower. She grasped a damp strand of his hair and ran in between her fingers.

"Thanks for everything, Hawkeye," Ed said softly, smiling at her.

Riza smiled back fondly. "How many times must I tell you to call me 'Riza' when we're not at work, Edward? Whatever are you men going to do if I get married? Can't very well call me by my last name then--it would be too confusing." She shook her head, laughing softly. "Just make sure you get some sleep, okay Edward?"

Ed nodded and walked Riza to the door (what few steps remained) and closed the door after her. His hand rested on the door before his eyes slowly trailed over to Roy, who was still sitting on the sofa.

"Listen, Edward--" Roy began.

"I understand why you have to go, and I'm sorry, " Ed interrupted, causing the other man to fall silent. "I should have reacted better. I should have respected your decision, but…damnit, you know me…all knee-jerk reactions. If you decide to go, then I'll support you, even though I don't like it."

After his surprise subsided, Roy began to understand. The reason Ed didn't sound like Ed (except for the "damnit, knee jerk reaction" part) was because he wasn't Ed. He was Riza. The whole time he'd been staying with her, she'd been training him to maturity. She was banking on him instilling enough guilt in Roy to make him stay. The sincerity with which it was delivered convinced him that it was passed off as a lecture in compromise, making Ed a pawn without him knowing it. It was such a clever move, Roy couldn't even get angry about it.

_Why in the Hell isn't she a General by now?!_

Ed watched his lover with confusion, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He slowly walked over to the sofa, stopping just a few feet short of Roy.

"So are you going"?" he asked timidly.

The colonel frowned. As nice as it would be for him to be able to accept that Hawkeye (or rather, soon-to-be-Havoc-not-Hawkeye, apparently) had been right and retire, being able to understand and appreciate something and being able to do it were two completely different things. He knew Riza was right, but he couldn't do anything about it He just wasn't ready for that kind of change.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I am. I don't have a choice."

Ed opened his mouth to protest, but Roy put a finger up to silence him. He leaned forward and grabbed Ed's hand, pulling the blonde into his lap. Ed made a small movement of protest, but eventually yielded and leaned into Roy, resting his head on the man's shoulder.

"Why do you have to go?" he asked quietly.

Roy winced internally at the sound of sadness in Ed's voice. He'd had no idea how much this was bothering the young man.

"Because, Ed," he began calmly, trying to determine which words to use." Listen, someday, eventually, I want to settle down and just enjoy my life." He reached up and tapped a finger to Ed's nose. "And I want to spend it with you, if you'll let me."

Ed swallowed hard, his nerves on end. Even though it seemed absurd and was nearly impossible given the circumstances, in Ed's mind, Roy had essentially proposed. He didn't know what that would mean for them. He'd wanted them to be together a long time, but he didn't know if that meant _forever_. He'd figured Roy would eventually grow tired of him and they'd go their separate ways.

Though the thought of that made him sad, he had learned to accept that what they had was only temporary. Of course, it had taken those "five stages" he'd read about once to reach that point. He'd denied that they'd ever break up, ever. They loved each other; there was no way they'd leave each other. The Gate couldn't even separate them. If it tried, he'd kick its ass! Even though he knew he couldn't actually do that, but he'd give anything just to stay with Roy. He'd give his right arm if it meant getting to be with Roy until he at least turned seventy…just so long as the bastard would be too old. No one would want him then! He'd then moped around the house, not speaking to Roy, acting as if the world was ending. After all, if Roy was just going to leave him eventually, why bother pretending at all? Finally, a few hours from the start of his journey, he finally accepted that even though he and Roy might not stay together forever, he'd enjoy the time he did have with the man…if Roy didn't lock him away for his weird penta-polar behavior.(1)

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Roy asked, squeezing Ed gently, to which he received a slight nod.

"I understand," Ed said calmly. "You need to go. You want things to change, but you're not ready yet. Just…promise me you'll be careful? Remember, you're not invincible. Oh, and carry matches with you, in case something happens to your gloves, and don't forget--"

"Okay, _Mother_," Roy groaned, cutting him off. "Does it make Al crazy too, when you go into 'mother hen' mode?"

Ed blushed, his mouth turning into a small frown. "Sometimes."

Roy smirked, brushing hair out of Ed's face. "Don't worry so much. You'll give yourself an ulcer. Didn't anyone ever tell you that you can get gray hairs by worrying? At the rate you're going, you'll have more than me."

"I will _not_," Ed insisted. "Like you'd ever admit to having gray hairs anyway. You still refused to believe you have wrinkles on your forehead." He pushed Roy's forehead back to smooth out any lines that might be there.

Roy grabbed Ed's hands, pulling them away from his head. He tried to pin down the younger alchemist's hands, but to no avail. They finally fell over onto the couch, laughing and panting. Roy smiled and brushed a kiss on Ed's nose, causing him to wrinkle it cutely. A warmth spread through Roy's chest and he combed his fingers through blonde hair. He really was going to miss Ed, so much that the thought had been keeping him awake the past week. He felt something bubble up and before he could filter it, it came bursting out.

"One more year," he conceded. "Give me one year and I'll retire. Then we'll do whatever you want. If you want to move home, I'll follow you. I'll spend the rest of my life hobbling around after cows, if that's what you want. Just give me a year."

Ed thought about it for a moment before nodding. "All right. One year, then you retire. I don't know about moving home, but we'll figure something out."

Dark eyes shined as they stared into amber irises. Roy leaned forward and kissed Ed deeply, weaving his fingers through Ed's hair and pulling him close. The younger, not to be outdone, wrapped a leg around the colonel's waist, grinding against him. Roy slid his fingers beneath Ed's shirt, letting his fingers graze a taut stomach before lifting the shirt up and over his lover's head. He used the shirt to tie a knot around Ed's wrists, effectively binding them together.

"The hell?" Ed exclaimed in shock. "Mustang, what do you think you're doing?"

"Making up for lost time," Roy replied, climbing over Ed and shifting him so his back was resting against the arm of the sofa. He slipped an index finger beneath the waistband of Ed's pants and tugged them down, revealing Ed's half-formed erection.

"I've only been gone a _week_," Ed pointed out.

"I know," Roy agreed, eyeing Ed as if trying to will him into complete hardness with his mind. "But who knows how long I'll be gone? Even if it doesn't take me long, you might still be gone when I get back."

Ed closed his eyes and tilted his head back as Roy decided he didn't want to wait for Ed to become fully erect before putting his mouth over the head of the younger man's slowly forming erection.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, taking a deep breath and arching his back as much as Roy would allow. "You know I--ah--hate it when you--ahhh--do that."

"So you want me to stop?" the older man asked, lifting his head and smirking.

"Yes! Wait, no! I…I don't know!" Ed wailed, squirming away and trying to free himself.

Roy chuckled low in his throat and began to graze the inside of Ed's thigh. "Better make up your mind, Elric. I'm a busy, busy man. My time is very valuable."

Ed snorted, trying to ignore the throbbing between his legs. "My ass. Tell me, when did I agree to indulge your sadistic tendencies?"

"Well, professionally, you agreed when you became a state alchemist under my sponsorship," Roy said, pushing his lover's erection to the side and watching it spring back up. His mind humorously compared Ed to a hard-on with great accuracy. If you pushed Ed down, he sprung back up. Once you started showing him affection, you had to keep going until he'd had enough, otherwise he'd bug you until you finished.

The object of this unusual comparison frowned, knowing the "amusing pervy thought" expression Roy often got all-too-well. "You know, I don't really understand how _this_ was in _that_ job description," he said, trying to kick Roy out of his own perverted mind.

"This is true; however…" Roy began, sliding an arm under one of Ed's legs and lifting it onto his shoulder, "I do believe you managed to add that to my list of rights when it comes to you that day in the library."

Blushing, Ed shook his leg in an attempt to either get it off Roy's shoulder or kick him in the head, either of which would subsequently allow him to free himself. He didn't mind the attention, but he didn't want it unless he had some kind of control over it.

Not one to be deterred, Roy simply grabbed Ed's other leg and lifted it onto his opposite shoulder. He reached around Ed's legs and began to slowly fist Ed's engorged cock.

"Mmmah!" Ed shouted, squirming harder and trying not to let Roy get to him. It wouldn't do him any good to let the man know just how much control he had of the situation--one ego would explode and the other would implode, leaving nothing but a black hole, which would suck more than the most powerful vacuum in the world. His movement and thought process were stopped as Roy used his other hand to still the flailing young man's hips.

"Don't fight me, Edward," Roy said quietly, rubbing Ed's hip, to which he got a stunned look. Whenever the colonel used Ed's given name, he was usually serious (which meant that Ed was in serious trouble, either way). "I want this to be good for you. After all, I can't exactly pacify you otherwise. This way, you'll at least be _nice_ for the rest of the weekend."

The blonde tried to be angry, but the pleasure cut him off. Still, he managed to hiss out a "bastard" while his traitorous brain allowed itself to be scrambled.

"Ugh…kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus…" he slowly recited as Roy continued to stroke him relentlessly.

"Edward," Roy warned, a half amused note to his voice, "you're still fighting me. Don't think I don't know what you're doing. Don't fight this; just let your mind go blank. Let me make you feel good." He removed his hand from Ed's erection and let his mouth take over again, using his hands to hold Ed's hips still. He heard Ed's panting increase and knew the end was coming, no matter how hard the young man fought. He heard Ed gasp, and then…

Blank slate. Ed felt his mind become completely devoid of all thought and he went numb. He let himself remain in a state of bliss for a few moments before he was dragged back to reality by the sudden lack of weight above him. He looked over at the retreating figure of his lover.

"Where are you going?" he asked, sounding as groggy as he suddenly felt.

Roy turned back to Ed, smirking. "Well, I have to feed you, don't I?"

The older Elric brother frowned. "But you…"

The dark-haired man laughed and shook his head. "I'm hardly worried about that. You've been gone a week and though I'm sure Riza fed you, I doubt you ate much. Havoc's told me how healthy she eats."

"And you think _I_ wouldn't?" Ed asked irritably.

"No," Roy said flatly, his face serious. He turned back towards the kitchen. "What kind of pancakes do you want?"

Ed's brow furrowed in disbelief. "You just got me off and now you want to make _pancakes_."

Roy replied, without missing a beat. "Yeah."

The younger alchemist simply shook his head. "You're getting senile, old man." He pulled his pants back up and shook his head again. "Completely fucking senile."

"Language, Edward," Roy scolded from the kitchen.

"Yeah yeah," Ed said, waving his hand. Just who was whose mother again? He grinned as he treaded into the kitchen after his lover.

Roy put his hands up and pushed Ed back towards the doorway. "Out, Ed."

Ed's eyebrow quirked, then settled low above his eyes He glared at Roy, venom seeping from his eyes. "Is that…what I _think_ it is?"

"No," the older man lied, pushing Ed farther back into the living room, backing him into the sofa. "Stay here. You look tired. Take a nap. I'll wake you when I'm done."

"Yeah, take a nap, Ed, so I can slip poison into your pancakes," Ed mocked. "Are you really that tired of me? You'd rather see me dead?"

Roy rolled his eyes and ground his palm into his forehead. "For God's sake, Edward, don't you know _anything?_ You _need_ milk to make pancakes, otherwise they won't be any good." He sighed, shaking his head and looking back towards the kitchen. "No wonder Al cooked for you all the time. Tell you what, I'll see if I can make some pancakes without milk, and then you'll understand what I mean."

About fifteen minutes later, Ed sat at the table, looking skeptically up at Roy, which was smirking at the flat disks lying on Ed's plate. The young blonde alchemist frowned down at said disks and poked them with a fork warily, like they might spring up from the plate at any moment and attack.

"What are you waiting for?" Roy asked curiously.

"Surveying the enemy," Ed whispered, narrowing his eyes. "You're in the military; you should know that."

The colonel tried not to laugh, though his dark eyes betrayed him. "I seriously doubt they're panning to attack. They might overthrow the Republic of Ed's Stomach, but I think it's something you'll survive. After all, you _are_ a man of science, aren't you? It's not like you to hold back from an experiment."

Golden brows came to rest above amber-colored eyes. Those eyes focused on the offending food before them and a fork reached out, stabbed the disk, lifted it and brought it to the mouth. The mouth opened, took part of the disk, bit it off, and chewed. Then, the eyes grew wide and the mouth fell. The eyes began to drown and the mouth seemed as if it might abandon the rest of the face.

"Kinda gross, huh?" Roy asked, grinning in triumph.

Ed wiped his eyes and looked up at his lover. "Even for me, and that's _saying_ something."

Roy shrugged, his hands palm-up. "What can I tell you, Ed, other than 'I told you so?'"

"You can tell me you'll make more pancakes and help me forget the nightmare that just happened in my mouth," Ed answered plainly, his expression somewhat pleading.

The older man smiled and took the pancakes over to the garbage, dropping them in. "Never even happened." He walked over to Ed, planed a kiss on his forehead, and went back to the stove. Ed simply watched as Roy began whipping pancake batter in a bowl. There was something so adorably domestic in it, he felt his brain slowly slide into what Roy referred to his "mode of humanity," which was his pain-in-the-ass way of saying that Ed was getting sentimental.

Personally, he thought he was just getting plain _mental_. Aside from Al, no one made him emotional quite like Roy. This usually made him say stupid things…_really_ stupid things that for some odd reason, made Roy get this look that reminded Ed of the look Al got when he'd found a particularly cute, "makes you want to barf rainbows" kitten.

He could feel the stupid welling up in him as he sat at the table, watching Roy act mundanely domestic and tried hard to stop it, to put a halt to the stupid, but what could he do?

The stupid was a powerful thing.

"You're like milk," he stated simply, causing Roy to look at him oddly. He wanted to slap himself. Everything he'd ever heard about blondes must be true, because he was starting to act befitting of his hair color. Time to backtrack.

"No, really," he insisted. "You can be disgusting, you can make me sick and sometimes I _really_ hate you." His face suddenly reddened and he felt the undeniable urge to stare at a particularly interesting spot on the floor. "But you're necessary to make some things good, and that makes me forget how gross you--wah!"

He yelped as Roy lifted him onto the table and pressed his mouth soundly over Ed's still babbling one. He sighed when Roy combed his fingers through across his scalp and pressed his body close.

"You make it hard, you know?" Roy asked breathlessly. "I can't be mad at you, can't try to teach you a lesson, can't even be _near_ you when we argue because I know I won't win. You make me such a loser."

Ed grinned, poking Roy in the shoulder. "Nah, you were a loser _long_ before I came around."

Roy grinned back, touching his forehead to Ed's. "Yeah, I guess I kinda was."

The pancake batter went forgotten.

(1) The "five stages" mentioned is what is known academically as the "Kübler-Ross model," more commonly known as the "five stages of grief," or the "five stages of dying." The five stages are as follows: Denial (of the potential break-up) , Anger (kicking the Gate's nonexistent ass), Bargaining (giving a right arm for a few more years), Depression, and finally, Acceptance. This model was first seen in 1969, in Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's book "On Death and Dying." Though it was not introduced until the late 60's, early 70's, I decided to forgo the technicality and mention it anyway. And now you've learned something new.

**Yay! That was long. Okay, differential diagnosis…squeeing, fangirlish twitching, and a sudden urge to go find a kitty. Go!**

**Sorry, I was listening to House whilest finishing this and I think I may have accidentally merged them there. But seriously, go. As in, go push the little "review" button and let me know if I was being too…you know, "squish." Or if it was the right amount of "squish." I just need to know how much is TOO much, because I've been reading these stories lately where they make Roy this giant man of fluff, and I'd like him to retain some of his dignity, you know? (Well, at least until later in this story, but ah, I've said too much already!)**

**Anyway, just want to let you all know that I haven't rated this as is for no good reason. That's all I'm going to tell you. Send in beta applications and love (and/or hate, I take either). Ciao!**


	7. I Haven't Forgotten

-1**Update Time!**

Yes…for anyone who is still reading this (and lord knows I had to go back and re-read quite a bit, so it's hard telling who is still bothering to tolerate my nonsense), I wanted to make it clear that I have not forgotten about this. I had a couple chapters brewing in my laptop for some time, and then it died (tragic!) and I lost the majestic wonder that was the lost chapters. Buuuut that's okay, because I think the main reason I couldn't go on with those chapters was that it totally derailed everything I was working towards, so I decided to go in a somewhat-different direction with the chapter I'm writing now. But yes, I am going to try and get it posted within this week, if at all possible. I've got a couple projects riding my back, but I know how I love to ignore basic physics lectures, so I might be finding time to write then. I just wanted to throw that out there so that I didn't become one of those "love you and leave you" authors.

Annnnyway, with that out there, I shall leave this for whomever wishes to read and I shall replace it with the actual chapter immediately upon its completion. Anyone who has any specific requests may send them my way and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks!


	8. TwistEd Domesticity

**A/N: Do I really need to say how awful I've been? I wouldn't blame anyone for jumping ship on this one. Certainly people must've thought I bailed. Alas, school attacked and didn't let up until now. As penance, I will push to update as quickly as possible throughout the summer, even at the expense of sleep…and I do so love my sleep. Anyway, I hope this meets the expectations of anyone returning to this story, as well as anyone reading for the first time.**

**Thanks to: Evil Pixies Are Yummy (hilarious name, by the way. I love it); Bar-Ohki, GreedxEd, and The Lady Morana (thanks to you three for your seemingly never-ending loyalty…especially to Miss Michelle for not consuming my soul for all my negligence…) Silicate Spider (I hope things are going well for you in the military!), mrawgirl09 (more cookies are in order, I think), Xellion (woot for a fellow House-lover), and Doggy-Yasha (you went and gave me all kinds of amazing praise and I went and let you down…soooo sorry x 100,000,000). I realize I totally didn't give kudos on my last posting. Someone, please, beat me. I deserve it.**

"_Ed! Ed! Edward!" Winry called out, running up to catch up to Ed as he walked along a dirt road similar to the ones he used to walk in the German countryside._

"_Whoa, calm down, Winry. Catch your breath," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder as if to try and physically slow her down. He waited until her breathing began to even out before attempting to figure out what she was babbling about. She seemed incredibly upset, though he couldn't figure out what could possibly make her this way._

_Suddenly, a feeling of dread washed over him. Maybe Alphonse…_

"_Winry…has something happened to Al?" he asked, his heart beginning to pound. For some reason, he felt as if the question was off, like it wasn't right at all._

_Winry simply shook her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Oh Ed! It's…I'm sorry, but…Roy is…"_

_The rest of the words that slipped past Winry's lips fell on deaf ears. Ed suddenly felt as if his entire world was caving in on him. It was almost as if he was inside the Gate again being torn limb by limb until there was nothing left, not even an essence of the being that had once been Edward Elric._

_There was simply darkness._

There was simply darkness when Ed opened his eyes, the only sounds in the room being the heavy thudding of his heart in his chest and Roy's shallow breathing beside him. He reached over and wove his flesh fingers through Roy's hair, sliding them down to cup Roy's face in an attempt to push out any residual dread the dream left him with.

"_Roy isn't coming back. He's dead, Edward. Roy's dead."_

He felt his body tremble at the very core. Despite everything he'd been through, he'd only really felt true fear a handful of times in his life. This kind of fear ran deep enough in him that it would leave residual thoughts in his head for years. He'd feared for his own life, but it was only when he feared for Al's life that it really stuck with him. This was much like that, but so different at the same time; it was like something huge had been personally wrenched from him and he'd never be able to function without it. He hated to think that there was a person closer to him than his own brother, but it was true. Roy Mustang didn't just get under his skin anymore--the man was in his very soul, what was left of it, anyway. If anything happened to him, there would be no doubt in his mind…even if he had to sacrifice the rest of his body…even though he knew better…he would still try--

"Are you…okay, Ed?" Roy asked groggily, reaching up to cup Ed's face. "I thought I felt your breathing pick up. Did you have a nightmare?"

Ed reached up and rubbed his eyes, grasping Roy's hand and placing a few light kisses to his palm. "No, don't worry about it. I just startled myself, that's all."

"Oh, okay…if that's all. Try and get some sleep, okay? We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and I want to spend as much of it with you as possible. I don't care if I wind up falling asleep on the train…"

Ed couldn't help but smile softly as Roy began to drift back to sleep. He was glad for it; he really didn't like lying to Roy, but he didn't want to explain the reasoning behind his sudden attack of anxiety. It was bad enough that he had to try and keep it together when Roy actually left. He didn't want to start the angst-fest earlier than he absolutely had to.

He just didn't know if he could manage that.

"Good moooooorning, Central! This is Sam McDonough, blasting your morning with wonderful tunes here at 104.7, Central's main source of today's greatest hits. Let's start this morning off with Anna Indiana's latest hit, "Don't Take Me off the Radio (Just Because I Annoy You)"...

Roy reached over and let his hand fall soundly on the "snooze" button, where he let it rest until he managed to garner enough energy to turn the alarm off altogether. He reached over to shake Ed awake so they might begin their day together, but his hand found only air. He opened his eyes to find that Ed was indeed absent. He sighed and rolled out of bed, preparing to find Ed in a corner sulking, or buried in a book somewhere.

He heard a hissing sound coming from the general direction of the kitchen, instilling in him a sudden feeling of dread. Hissing meant fire, and while he was great at controlling fire (and Ed was great at controlling him), that did not necessarily mean that Ed was all-that skilled at controlling fire. It was quite the opposite, actually.

"Edward, I swear, if you are burning my kitchen down, I will kill you in your sle—"

Roy was struck dumb by the sight that met his eyes. Not only was Ed not burning down the kitchen, he was actually cooking in a manner that didn't fill Roy with a sudden urge to flee the apartment out of self-preservation. Ed was cooking food that actually looked edible. As if that wasn't odd enough, Ed was also whistling...in an apron. His hair was pulled back high into a tight ponytail that hung loosely down the center of his back. He looked fabulously domestic, which was somewhat amusing for Roy, and yet, it was somewhat upsetting as well. For all the fantasies he'd had at one time or another about Ed being the ideal wife figure, all of them were far more extreme and outlandish than what was before him, but none of them seemed to compare.

Smiling, Roy quietly strolled over to Edward and put his arms around Ed's waist. "You know, I never figured you for a homemaker, Ed," he teased.

Ed jumped, turning around and throwing a hand up to his chest. "Mustang! Don't you know not to just come up behind someone without saying anything?" he protested.

"That's odd. You never seem to mind when I'm behind you," Roy said smugly, quirking an eyebrow. He let his eyes slowly move over Ed, examining every little detail and committing it to memory for later use.

Ed lowered his eyes, a light blush tinting his cheeks. "Shut up and go sit down, will ya? I can't cook with you breathing down my neck." He turned his back to Roy and continued to flip eggs in the skillet.

Roy smirked and turned his attention to the table nearby, where the morning paper sat waiting for him, turned to his favorite section. This gave him pause; the only people who knew what he liked to read were Ed and Hawkeye, and unless Riza had snuck into the house early in the morning and laid it out for him—which, given any other day, would have been more likely—that meant that Ed himself had gone out, gotten the paper, and laid it out for him. The younger alchemist had always protested doing Roy any favors on a regular basis, especially getting the morning paper.

_"Do I _look_ like a dog to you, Mustang? You can get your own damned paper."_

Smiling, Roy turned back to Ed, who was working away at cooking breakfast, unaware that his lover was examining him with great skepticism. He quickly straightened up and sat down at the table before Ed could realize he was being watched.

"Okay, well, if this kills you, don't blame me," Ed stated plainly, setting a plate in front of Roy. "You know how it goes. I try to do things nice for people, and I usually wind up killing or dismembering them."

Roy widened his eyes in mock horror. "Oh no, this egg is going to send my soul into the toaster, isn't it?"

"Very funny, Mustang. You're hilarious," Ed sighed, rolling his eyes and turning back to the stove. "If you get turned into a toaster, I'll just leave you that way. You deserve that."

"Ouch," Roy said, taking a bite of egg and chewing it thoughtfully before swallowing and nodding in affirmation. "So much for being a toaster. You know, I never figured you to be a man of such _little_ morality and compassion."

"Doesn't work anymore," Ed said, taking his plate and sitting across the table from Roy. "Me, I've grown up. You...well, you're still a shit colonel." He grinned and began to read his own section of the newspaper. He read and ate quietly for a few minutes before glancing up at Roy, who was still reading his portion of the paper.

"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked, looking back down at his paper.

Roy shrugged. "I don't know. I figured we'd just sit around the house and spend time together today."

"Sitting around?" Ed asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit boring for your last day of freedom?"

"Boring? Considering the fact that I won't get to do this for possibly a long time, I'd say no. I'd say this is just the pace I'd like to go today. I apologize if you find it boring," the older man responded.

Ed felt a wave of shame pass over him. He knew it was well-deserved, considering he was, once again, acting like a selfish child. He didn't want to feel like he'd somehow reverted back to old behavior, but he knew better. His brows furrowed; this was no different than a mission, and in every mission he'd ever had, he gave one-hundred percent or more. In fact, Roy's happiness was ten times more important to him than any mission, so he should be giving ten times the effort. So what could he do? Obviously making breakfast and making sure that Roy didn't have to get his own paper wasn't enough; he definitely had to do something else, but what?

Roy watched as Ed's face contorted into the different expressions he wore when he was trying to work things out in his head. As amusing as it usually was, today it worried him. Ed only had issues with trying to figure things out in his head when he was concerned about something, or when he was plotting something troublesome. Either way, it wouldn't work out in Roy's favor. It never did. That was what worried him.

"Should I start making funeral arrangements now?" he asked jokingly. Ed looked up, startled. All the humor that Roy had built up during the morning fled him in the same way Ed fled from mobs. He couldn't be certain, but he got the sinking feeling that he'd said something awful that he needed to apologize for. The look Ed gave him screamed of a desperation he not only recognized; he knew it intimately. It was a look he'd only worn when caught completely off-guard in a situation one could only describe as dismal.

"Edward?" he asked, concerned. "Ed, are you all right? Was it something I said?"

Ed blinked a few times before shaking his head. "Ah, no. No, it's nothing. I just uh…I was reminded of something. I'm fine now." He grinned as if to try and reassure Roy that he was all right, though Roy didn't buy it for a second.

"Okay, if you're sure," Roy said slowly, still eyeing the blonde suspiciously.

"One-hundred percent, yeah," Ed insisted with a nod. "So, plans for today. Yes. So what were you thinking? Maybe lounging around in the library, listening to the radio? Maybe we could get something from the deli for lunch and then follow with an afternoon nap?"

Though Roy had a slight feeling his lover was just being glib, he unfortunately had to admit that those were his exact plans. Granted, he felt like a right old man planning his last day at home like that, but he somehow knew his life would be full of all kinds of excitement in the days ahead, so he just wanted to stay home and enjoy some quiet time with the one person he cherished more than anything in the world. Of course, a couple years back, he would not have even made an attempt at any kind of quiet anything with the young man, but Ed had grown up, he'd matured, and things were different between them. They could both enjoy each other's company without trying to rip one another's head off (at least, for the most part).

"Yeah, that actually sounds pretty good," Roy said with a soft smile, setting his paper to the side and picking up the plates from breakfast. Ed moved to get up, but Roy motioned for him to remain seated. "I can get these. You went through the trouble of making breakfast; the least I can do is clean up." He smiled again and carried the dishes to the sink. In an attempt to get the image of Ed's startled face out of his mind, he attempted to make small talk while he washed the dishes. However, all he managed to get out of the younger alchemist were a series of grunts and monosyllabic responses. He wondered what had happened to cause the usually-talkative Fullmetal Alchemist to suddenly clam up. Had he somehow managed to do something wrong between clearing the table and washing the dishes? He turned back to ask Ed what he'd done, only to find the young man staring intently at a spot on the table, his face turned into an expression of deep concentration.

"You know, Edward, if something comes through the window, hits you in the head and kills you, the last thing you're going to remember is some random spot on the table. Not exactly the most romantic of final images," Roy teased, making another attempt at light banter.

"Hm?" Ed asked, looking up at Roy suddenly, as if brought out of a trance. "Were you saying something?"

Roy sighed, pulling a chair up next to Ed and sitting down beside him. He took Ed's hands in his and squeezed them lightly. "Something is obviously bothering you. I know, I know, you're not great about expressing emotions or anything 'girly' like that, as you often put it, but…I'm worried, Ed. I'm worried that I'm going to leave tomorrow and come back to find you wasting away at this table, waiting for me to return. Now, I want you to promise me that as soon as I leave, you're going to get on a train and go see your brother in Risembool. You promise? I swear, don't make me put you on a train today. I'll do it just to make a point."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Ed remarked, sounding slightly bitter. It wasn't the response Roy had been hoping to get, but it was something outside of apathy, and that was a step up in Roy's book.

"Don't be like this, please," Roy pleaded, giving Ed's hand another squeeze. "Please, I just…I want us to enjoy this day and not think about tomorrow. Do you think you can do that, just this once?"

Ed heaved a sigh and bit his lip. "Yeah, I can do that. You should go relax in the library. I'll be in after you shortly. Let me finish cleaning up."

Roy nodded and made his way back to the extra bedroom they'd converted into a "library" after Roy started dating Ed. Or rather, they decided to make it into a library after Ed decided to start sharing a bed with Roy when he came to visit. That had been one of the first of many rocky spots in their relationship. Their bedroom-turned-library was less-than-fabulous as far as most libraries went, but it had the necessary amenities that made it better than an actual library in many ways, like the comfy leather chair Roy went straight to after grabbing one of the books that he'd left lying open. If Ed had seen the book, he would have launched into one of his yawn-inducing rants about breaking book spines and what an injustice it was—the thought of such a rant made Roy want to doze off to sleep…which he then did. After a few hours, Ed finally wandered back into the library, curious as to why he hadn't heard anything from the older man about taking so long to clean the kitchen.

"Did you die back...," he started, pausing in the doorway after he saw his boyfriend sleeping soundly in the chair, "here?" He smiled and slowly walked over to where Roy was snoozing, his head tilted back against the back of the chair. "You work too much," he commented, smiling sadly. "Far too much..."

"Mmm...d'you say something?" Roy asked groggily, stirring from his nap.

Ed shook his head, turning and pretending to peruse the volumes on the shelves, when really, he was just trying to make sure Roy didn't see the look of sadness on his face. So far, his mission to make Roy's last day at home a good one was turning out to be an utter failure. He wasn't giving up, though, not by a long shot. He turned back to where Roy was still sitting, slowly waking up from his nap, walked over to the chair and sat on Roy's lap, curling up against his chest and resting his head against Roy's shoulder.

"I'm beginning to understand why I never really felt the need to get a cat," Roy joked lightly, stroking the top of Ed's hair.

"I take extreme offense to that," Ed murmured half-heartedly.

Roy chuckled. "You go ahead and do that."

Ed squirmed away from Roy, batting his hands to cease the petting. As nice as it was, he knew if they didn't go do something ASAP, they'd be stuck inside all day, completely wasting what little time they had left together. That wasn't something he wanted to be kicking himself for later.

"I think we should do something," he said decisively, jumping to his feet. "I really do. I mean, it's nice to be able to sit here and relax and whatnot, but I don't see that as going outside of what we usually do. Given the occasion, I think we should go out. I mean, not that we should be celebrating or anything, because you know that's not what I meant to say, I mean…maybe we should just grab something, or I dunno, go see a show or maybe get some of those weird chocolate things you like—"

"Edward," Roy said, breaking into Ed's rant with a smirk, "I understand what you're trying to say, regardless of the fact that you were rambling so incoherently I doubt anyone else would be able to understand you." He reached forward and tugged Ed into his lap so the blonde would stop pacing. "And I agree. We should do something. We don't go out often, and since you did make such a nice breakfast, I think I should treat you to dinner. In fact, I have a great idea as to where we can go. However, before we can go do that, I think we both need a short nap and a shower. Lord knows you took long enough to clean the kitchen—"

"And there it is," Ed interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"—so you're probably tired and dirty, which means you are definitely not ready to leave this apartment without rest and a thorough cleaning."

"How do you manage to make even the most mundane of things completely obscene, Mustang?" Ed commented, turning a wary eye on his lover.

Roy shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a gift?"

Ed grinned, despite his best efforts to keep his amusement to himself. "If you say so…"

"So," Roy murmured low in Ed's ear, despite the fact that they were the only ones in the room, "shall we shower, or rest first?"

"Depends."

"Depends?" Roy repeated, cocking an eyebrow.

"Apparently you're going deaf in your old age," Ed quipped teasingly. "Yes, it depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Whether you think we'll need a shower after our nap or a nap after our shower," Ed answered, grinning mischievously.

Roy couldn't help but notice that his face reddened slightly. It was a rare thing, but on occasion, Ed could be so frank that he caught Roy off-guard. It was during those times that Roy remembered why he fell for the little pill in the first place.

"Shower, definitely."

"Are you sure you want to come here?" Ed queried skeptically, glancing over at Roy as they entered the Fleur de Nuit, one of the nicer restaurants in downtown Central (Ed had suggested the deli when Roy had suddenly decided he wanted to go somewhere after lying around all day, but had lost the "what fun would that be?" debate). "You said you just wanted to stay home, if I recall. This isn't really what I'd imagined."

"And if I recall, I changed my mind," Roy argued, smiling at Ed. "You were the one who originally wanted to go out in the first place, right? I thought this would be a nice change of pace."

Ed sighed, knowing there was no winning the argument. He instead tried to work around the situation. "Is anyone else coming? I figured you might've called Hawkeye, or Havoc, or something."

"Why would I?" Roy asked, confused.

Ed paused, looking at Roy in disbelief. _Why would I? _Was he_ seriously_ asking that question? "Uh, well...really?" he asked again, just to be certain. After getting the same reaction from the older man, he stammered on. "You...uh...don't find it a little odd...well, you don't think anyone else will wonder why...it's just...you know, you and me, randomly sitting at a table at some fancy restaurant? Not exactly the ideal place for a business date, Colonel Einstein."

"Who?" Roy asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Ed looked at his lover for a moment, deadpanning, until he realized his mistake. Of course Roy wouldn't know who Einstein was. He had never been part of that world.

"Uh, a physicist. Geek talk, sorry," he stuttered apologetically. He often accidentally brought up something from his short time on the other side of the Gate, and every time he did, Roy would get this heart-wrenching look on his face that shut Ed up almost immediately. Time for a quick change of subject, or rather, a return to the subject at hand. "But yeah, aren't you worried--"

"No," Roy answered, cutting short Ed's concerned cover-inquiry. Ed almost felt as though Roy had seen through his facade until he continued with his explanation: "Why would I be worried about someone seeing us here? What is so wrong with an officer spending time with one of his most talented subordinates?" He clapped a hand on Ed's shoulder for emphasis.

_Well, we can start with our oh-so-wonderful track record, or have you forgotten the days when we used to butt heads on an hourly basis?_ Ed groaned internally, but kept it to himself. If Roy wanted to expose them, then all the better for him. If Roy got kicked out of the military now, it would end all debate as to what he "had" to do and what he "wanted" to do. Still puzzling over the issue, Ed followed Roy as the hostess finally seated them in one of the corner tables, away from much of the noise of the restaurant. Had he not been caught up in his own thoughts, he would have noticed the way that Roy evaded the flirtatious advances of the hostess. Rather, he was jerked out of his thoughts by a booming voice that seemed to come almost out of nowhere in the same way that Armstrong somehow managed to pop up randomly when Ed wasn't expecting it. Someday, he was going to find out how a man that big could be so...stealth. His musings turned into full-blown panic as he realized who the source of said voice was.

"Interesting to see you here, Colonel Mustang," General Hakuro commented, shaking Roy's hand as he rose from the table. "I thought you'd be at home, preparing for your mission. You leave tomorrow, am I right?"

"Yes, sir, I actually made all the necessary arrangements yesterday. First Lieutenant Hawkeye will be acting commander in my stead. Since I have no worries about her ability to take control of the situation, I thought I'd enjoy my last free evening," Roy responded, nodding. He gestured to the table. "Won't you join us?"

Hakuro raised a hand in refusal. "Ah, thank you, but no, I'm here with the wife. I just saw you over here and thought I'd say hello." His voice sounded all-too-fake for Ed's comfort. As if the situation wasn't uncomfortable enough, the general suddenly turned towards him and caused his nerves to stand on end. "Elric, how good to see you again. I heard you were on vacation leave. Do you have travel plans?"

Ed nodded, clearing his throat so it wouldn't come out as some awkward squeaking sound. "Yeah--uh, yes...sir, I'll be leaving tomorrow for my hometown, to see my family."

"Very good, very good. I hope your trip goes smoothly. I know how these things seem to always go awry in some way or another." Hakuro turned back to Roy. "You know, Mustang, it's so unlike you to be seen out and about without a young lady in tow. Young officer such as yourself should be spending his last night at home in the company of a lovely young lady. That's not to say that young Elric isn't good company. I hear he can be very...entertaining...at times."

_Bastard,_ Ed thought angrily. _I should kill you...or, at least, transmute you to a tank or something. _

"Actually," Roy said lightly, appearing not in the least fazed by the backhanded comment, "Edward is one of my best combat specialists, and since he seems to have a penchant for trouble, I thought I'd ask for his advice. I guess you could say I'm preparing for the worst, really."

"God forbid," the general swore, patting Roy soundly on the back. "You're a magnificent soldier, Mustang, and one of Amestris's finest. I really doubt you'll need the advice of a novice state alchemist."

"I disagree completely, sir," Roy stated plainly. "I would be content to have had even a quarter of Fullmetal's talent he has when I was his age. I'm really very grateful that he deferred his departure to tomorrow at my request."

"Is that so?" Hakuro asked, eyeing Ed.

Ed shrugged. "I figured it wouldn't make a difference if I left a day later. I kinda owe the colonel one anyway, for giving me the time off in the first place."

Nodding, the general turned back to Roy. "Mustang, someday you'll have to teach me how to instill such loyalty in my own subordinates."

Roy grinned and shook General Hakuro's hand. "I can assure you, I'm not doing anything special. I've just been fortunate enough to have such good soldiers."

"Agreed. Well, good luck, Colonel. We'll see you when you return."

"Thank you, sir," Roy said, saluting as the general walked away. After he'd gone out of sight, Roy's face fell and he sat down again. "I really hate that man." He flagged a waitress down and ordered a couple of drinks.

"I'll drive."

**Are we good? Should I go looking for a new pastime? Anyone who even bothers to comment should apply for sainthood, stat. Oh, and since so few seem to understand the meaning of "DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T LIKE" at the beginning of a chapter, rather interpreting it as a sign of go-ahead on the flame-age, I'll post a warning here as well.**

**WARNING. THERE BE LEMONS AHEAD.**

**Seriously. That's all this next chapter is. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

**S'what that "M" rating is for.**


	9. la Nuit d'Amour

**A/N: Since (as aforementioned) I have been an utter failure in my consistency, I decided to post this right away. I won't lie; I've only read this twice: when I wrote it, and as the spell-check was running, which doesn't really count. I've never read it as a whole, and I probably won't. So if I screwed up anywhere that the always-faulty spell-check missed, please excuse it. If I'd re-read this, you wouldn't be reading it now. If it's a bit "off," it's only because I am incapable of writing things of this nature that don't wind up…true to nature, so to speak…and that's not really as poetic as we'd all like to think.**

**WARNING:**** Seriously, don't go reading this if male-male relations offend you. While I always accept and welcome constructive criticism, negativity for the sake of being negative is not, nor will it ever be, acceptable, and your comments will be removed. I'm not going to stand here with a baseball bat to chase you away from things you don't like. I don't do masochists and I don't do morons, so if you're either, don't come complaining to me.**

**Thanks to anyone who can read this all the way through without having homicidal thoughts about me. I know I wouldn't be able to. Kudos!**

Trying hard not to make too much noise, Roy and Ed made their way through the hallways of Roy's apartment building, stopping briefly for a kiss and a quick grope before one of the two got better sense and pulled the other along. Strangely, it was Ed who gained sense more often than Roy, tugging him along the hall towards his apartment. They stopped at the door, Roy pressing Ed into the door so hard Ed could almost swear he heard it yelp in indignation.

"The…the _keys_, Mustang, get the _keys._ No, they're not in _my_ pocket. Hey!" Ed squeaked, stepping on Roy's toes with his metal foot. "Seriously, unlock the door before something awful happens."

"Like what, Mrs. Sterne? If she has issues with it, I'll do you here; give that old lady something to _really_ complain about."

"Seriously, Roy, unlock the damned door and get your ass inside. I was an idiot for letting you drink as much as you have." Ed sighed as he took the keys from his slightly-inebriated lover. "I swear…if Riza heard about this, she'd kick your ass all over Central. Honestly." He managed to unlock the door and shoved Roy inside. "It's a good thing I have half the common sense I do now. If I was the same person I was a couple years ago, I would have let you fuck me in the hallway and would have screamed loud enough for half the city to hear. Then you'd be thrown out of the military and wouldn't have to leave tomorrow. But _noooo_, it seems that some of Alphonse's sense of humanity seems to have rubbed off on me, lucky for you."

He was about to open his mouth to scold Roy more about being irresponsible in public, but he found it was difficult to do when the said object of his ridicule had his tongue in his mouth. Unfortunately for Ed, his argument quickly died in his throat and he allowed himself to be led back into the bedroom, where Roy kicked the door closed and made quick work of removing the clothing from both his and Ed's upper halves. It wasn't until Roy began working his way into Ed's pants that he began to have difficulty. It took him a couple minutes to realize that the pants were literally impossible to undo. However, it didn't take him much longer to realize why.

"Edward…Ed," he began, "did you actually _transmute_ your pants to your body?"

"Hell no, that's dangerous," Ed replied with a smirk. "No, I just did a quick little transmutation to keep them closed so that a fool like you wouldn't be able to rush what could be our last nigh—"

His words were cut off—once again—by Roy's insistent mouth pressed over his. He felt his pants being slowly worked off his hips, taking his boxers along with them. His plan had not only backfired, it actually worked out in the other man's favor.

"Someone hates me," he lamented. "Someone very important out there _must_ hate me."

"Not me," Roy hummed in a sing-song voice, finally having gotten Ed's pants off. He tossed them aside and sat back to look at his handiwork. "Very nice, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, well, you may _not_ say so yourself. Now, either you're going to do this, or you're going to gawk. Whichever it is, let me know so I can plan accordingly."

"I am _definitely_ not planning on gawking," the older man purred, strategically placing a few light kisses along the insides of Ed's thighs, making the blonde squirm beneath him.

"Whyyyyy are you so damned _mean_ all of the time? You always play around before we do anything serious. I don't understand how—"

"I'm just taking my time so a fool like you won't be able to rush what could be our last…"

"Don't say it," Ed groaned, covering his face with his hands. "I'm not a huge fan of situational irony, nor will I ever be, so just don't."

"This is why I have all the control in this part of the relationship," Roy quipped, kissing a path up Ed's hip leading to his navel. "I'm just more clever, plain and simple."

Ed narrowed his eyes at his lover and quickly rolled out of his grasp. "You really think you have all the control in 'this part' of our relationship? Is that what you think?"

Roy shrugged nonchalantly, obviously unaware of the kind of damage he was inflicting upon his lover's ego. Ed subconsciously knew it was the liquor talking, but he also couldn't help but think that it had somehow made Roy more honest as well. After all, while people do say random things while intoxicated, much of it also comes from something true within the person themselves.

"What? I do most of the work, so I should get most of the credit. So what?" he threw out carelessly, causing Ed to cross his arms in disbelief. Was that really what Roy thought, after all that time, that he had been the one making all the decisions? It wasn't as if part of it wasn't true, but it bothered Ed a little. He didn't like the idea of being seen as something to be controlled. Through the military, Roy kept Ed on a leash at work; that didn't mean it had to be so in their personal lives.

"You know what, Mustang? You can take your control and shove it. I'm not putting up with this tonight. If you still feel this way after you get back, then don't bother letting me know you've gotten back. Give me a transfer and let me think you're dead. I'll feel better that way." He rolled off the bed and began searching for his pants. He was pulled back by the arm as Roy held onto him, refusing to let go for an instant.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Don't go," he pleaded. "I'm sorry."

Ed was relieved to see that Roy had begun to sober up a bit. It didn't make him feel any better about what he'd said, but it helped to soothe his bruised ego, if only a little.

"I hope you understand that this doesn't change anything," he said steadily. "I still don't want to know if you've come back…if this isn't just the brandy talking. Do you understand? I can't stand thinking that this is going to kill us, even if it doesn't kill you."

"Please kill the 'doom and gloom' bit," Roy groaned. "I got enough of it from Hawkeye; I really don't need it from the one person I'd expect to understand a little about pride. Just because I've come down a peg or two, that doesn't mean you've beaten me completely into submission, Edward. I still have a job to do! I can't just let…this…get in my way. Don't get me wrong, I love you more than…but I just…I've got to do this. I need this." He sighed and fell back onto the bed. "Please. Please understand. I need someone to."

Ed paused, his breath catching in his throat. He didn't know if it was because Roy had been drinking, or if his hormones were going all crazy on him, but he was being unusually vulnerable. Ed hated that, because he knew that it meant that he couldn't stay angry with the man, no matter how much he wanted to.

"I understand," he sighed, sitting back on the bed. "I really don't want to, believe me. But I do. I understand that you have to do what you have to do, regardless of whether or not anyone wants you to. No one wanted Al and me to go off and get all stupid over missing our bodies, but we did anyway. It turned out all right, I guess." His voice broke off. "I just…I know what had to happen to us…to me…in order to do 'what needed to be done,' and I just don't want that to happen to you. I would die."

Though he fought against it, tears had begun to gather in his eyes, and before he knew it, he was crying. He closed his eyes and let the tears fall unchecked, aware that he seemed to have cried more in the past couple weeks than he had in the past couple years. He wanted to damn the man lying next to him straight into his grave, but he didn't have the heart for it. Not anymore.

Roy reached up and wiped Ed's eyes with his fingertips. "Shhh, don't cry, Ed. I promise…nothing is going to happen to me up there. I won't let it. I'll be back before you know it. You'll probably be so busy back home that you'll forget all about this." He sighed. "Perhaps I shouldn't have told you. Maybe I should have just made you get on a train and then told you later. It may have been better that way."

"And I would have hated you for it," Ed remarked, looking back over at Roy. "As much as I hate this, the one thing I don't hate about it is that you didn't lie about it, like you usually do. I didn't mean…"

"I know," Roy said quietly. "Me neither."

"Can we just…forget? Is it that easy?" Ed asked, lying down beside Roy. "Can we really just lash out and pretend it never happened, just like that?"

"We used to," Roy said, smiling. "I remember wondering if you were going to set a bomb beneath my chair one day and blow me to the moon."

Ed laughed lightly. "Well, that's not to say I didn't…" He glanced over as Roy laughed and nodded in response. He found with some relief that he still loved the way the man looked when he was laughing. He was still beautiful to Ed, even when he was being an ass.

In one swift motion, Ed rolled over to straddle Roy's hips and pressed his mouth to Roy's, rocking his hips roughly against Roy's in a not-so-subtle declaration that certain things were indeed going to be forgotten. What he _wasn't_ indicating was the fact that he was about to stage a coup of epic proportions.

It wasn't until Ed leaned in to whisper into Roy's ear that he truly realized how doomed he was.

"Roll over, Mustang."

_Oh. Fuck._

"Really, Ed? Do you even…whoa!" Roy yelped as he was rolled over onto his stomach. He'd forgotten how strong the little bastard could be when he was motivated. When he found himself propped up onto his knees, legs slightly parted, he knew the only thing that would save him from potential rape was if he pleaded for some kind of reprieve.

As if reading his mind, Ed chimed, "Don't even think about it. Nothing is getting you out of this." With a clap, he had transmuted Roy's boxers into a silk rope, which he then used to tie Roy's hands behind his back. "Is that uncomfortable?"

"Not as uncomfortable as the thought of what's about to happen, I can assure you," Roy admitted.

"Calm down, Colonel Chickenshit. Trust me, you'll like this. I like it. I didn't think I would, but I really did. That's thanks to you, really. So please, allow me to return the favor." Ed tied the last knot and began looking around for the bottle of lubricant Roy usually kept stashed in his nightstand.

Roy sighed, turning his head in an attempt to look at Ed. "So what's changed since earlier, might I ask? You weren't so eager to do this when I was actually prepared, so what's different now?"

Ed grinned, having successfully located the bottle and slicked his fingers. He positioned them at Roy's entrance, taking care to avoid being too obvious. If Roy jerked away at just the right angle, he'd undoubtedly manage to snap his own neck.

"Funny you should say you were prepared," he said quietly enough for Roy to barely hear. He slipped a finger inside Roy's entrance, past the tight ring of muscle that instinctively clenched around his digit. He wiggled it around, looking for the spot he knew would undoubtedly win Roy over in a heartbeat. He wanted to rub Roy's back, but the non-prosthetic limb was currently preoccupied with something more important. He almost thought of making a joke similar to "just be glad I'm using the flesh hand," but it only served to remind him of the fact that he would always be stuck with one hand literally tied behind his back. He sometimes wondered if he wouldn't be better off taking the arm off in times like this…

_Kill the self-pity, Ed, you have something a little more imperative going on here, _Ed's conscience that thankfully did _not _sound like his younger brother or one-time roommate. He didn't think he could handle either of the Als intruding upon his thoughts at a time like this. No, this voice sounded very much like himself, which is how he liked it.

"Take a deep breath," he said, preparing to slide another finger inside of his lover.

"I'm not sure…are you…?" Roy inquired, his voice sounding somewhat high-pitched.

"It helps," Ed affirmed. "Trust me."

As he saw Roy's back rise and heard him inhale, he slipped his first finger out and slid two back in, pausing so that the older man had time to adjust. He felt bad for springing this so suddenly, but if he didn't do it now, he didn't know if he ever would. He kept searching for that spot Roy somehow managed to find almost instantaneously. When it came to women, as alien as they seemed to be sometimes, Ed had never really failed in pleasing them. Sure, his heart wasn't into it, but that didn't mean the rest of him wasn't. He sighed and curled his fingers slightly, slowly, as to not hurt Roy.

Suddenly, Roy gasped and arched his back slightly. Ed quirked an eyebrow, curious as to what had caused that reaction. He curled his fingers again, in the same motion as before, and like before, he got a similar reaction. He began to scissor his fingers, stretching Roy out and getting him used to the idea, casually finding that spot that seemed to cause his lover to react best before pulling his fingers out. He was all-too-pleased to hear a slight note of disappointment in the sigh that Roy let out immediately afterwards. Of course, he knew he'd never get the truth out, but it didn't matter. He knew already that this was going to happen, and that he wasn't going to wind up crippling Roy for the rest of his life.

He reached over, grabbing the bottle of lubricant and putting a good coat of it over his hard-as-diamonds erection (as he had enjoyed what he'd done to Roy almost as much as Roy himself). He positioned himself at Roy's entrance, making sure that he was aligned properly. If he slipped up, Roy would never forgive him, regardless of how good he'd been before.

"Ready?" he asked, placing a few kisses to Roy's back.

Roy took a deep breath, nodding as best he could. "Yeah…I think so."

Ed steeled himself for what he thought would be the hardest thing he'd ever have to do. He began to slide his length inside Roy, pausing a moment or so to make sure he was clear to go before continuing. He thrust once, just a test thrust, to check his bearings. After determining that the ceiling wasn't going to cave on him, he gave another thrust, which turned into two, and before he knew it, he had a rhythm going.

Roy, meanwhile, was doing his best to remain somewhat composed. He always managed to retain some dignity in the act of lovemaking, but this was so far beyond that. Roy Mustang was never much for religion, but he prayed to whatever god there was out there that he did to Ed whatever it was Ed was managing to do to him at that moment. He felt a bit of hesitation in his lover, which concerned him. He was suddenly posed with an interesting dilemma: if he admitted he was enjoying himself, perhaps Ed would be comfortable enough to enjoy himself, but it wasn't as if he could just go "oh, that's lovely." No, that would be embarrassing, to say the least. What he really needed was some kind of way to express what he was feeling without being overly-expressive, but also without sounding like a total…

"Fuck," he uttered as Ed slammed into him, almost as if to say "helloooo, are you paying attention?!"

"There we go," Ed said with a tone of satisfaction. "That's what I like to hear."

_Great,_ Roy thought, _his ego will be dining on this for _years,_ I'm sure._

"You little…," Roy began, trying hard not to let something else slip while he was allowing himself to speak.

"Really?" Ed queried almost mockingly. "Because if I didn't know better, I'd say you were enjoying this."

"I think we could argue that point all night, or…we could get on with this," Roy breathed, trying to remain patient. He didn't want to sound too desperate, by any means, but that's partially how he felt. He felt helpless to stop or at least expedite matters.

"This is true," Ed agreed. "But what fun would it be if I let you have your way?" He gave another thrust. "Fabulous Casanova that you may be, I don't think you'll last much longer as is."

"Hn, I don't—ah—think I can disagree, so why don't you—mmm—be nice and stop torturing me?" Roy asked, interrupted every few seconds by the striking of his prostate.

"I could," confirmed the administrator of said torture thoughtfully, which again, sounded more like mockery than anything.

Groaning, Roy tried to shift his weight to relieve the ache growing in his shoulders, which didn't go unnoticed by his younger lover, who then reached over and untied his wrists. Roy was then able to use his arms for support as Ed continued to drive into him.

"Now we can get serious," Ed said, grinning impishly.

_What does he mean by "now"?_ Roy wondered with dread.

Suddenly, he knew what Ed had meant as two hands—one flesh, one metal—grasped his hips and pushed forward, thrusting deep, as if trying to literally reach his heart. He felt as if he was going cross-eyed, and no matter how hard he tried to fix his thoughts, he simply couldn't.

"Please, Ed, I don't…," he gasped, burying his face in the sheets to muffle any sounds he might make.

Nodding, Ed began to pump in and out of Roy at a break-neck pace. He felt as though his own heart could burst from the over-exertion, but he couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop, even if he fell down dead. He couldn't see how it would matter, though he was so awfully glad he decided to start his vacation time already. He would undoubtedly be in some semblance of a coma for a few days.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar twinge and realized that he was almost at the point of no return. He tried to concentrate on something so that he wouldn't come too soon; that would be the worst thing that could happen. At that moment, he'd rather give his other arm than face such embarrassment.

Roy clenched his fists and ran a hand across the bed in search of a pillow. "I…I won't…can't…Edward…"

"Go, Roy. Come on," Ed panted, pounding harder into his lover. "Come on, Roy."

Finally, Roy found the pillow he'd been searching for and shoved his head into it, letting out a low, muffled sound. His back arched and pushed back into Ed, who immediately felt a tightening around his shaft. He gasped as his entire body stiffened; every muscle in his body began to spasm and contract as he came inside of Roy. He couldn't say anything, as he could barely breathe. He pulled out slowly, trying to avoid causing Roy any discomfort, before he rolled to the side onto his back. Neither man said anything for what seemed like an eternity before Roy finally brought his face out from the pillow and looked at his lover.

"You…are like a golden-haired angel," he murmured, stroking the side of Ed's face.

"Is that the afterglow or the booze talking? Either way, you're insane," the younger alchemist joked, looking absently over at his automail. "Damn it all, I gotta get this cleaned when I go see Winry and Al. It's starting to get all gross on me. I mean, it's not like I don't clean it, but it isn't easy to get into every little spot."

"You love to ruin moments, don't you?" Roy asked flatly.

Ed grinned. "Every moment I get the chance."

**And there it is. I didn't really make ya'll wait NEARLY as long for that as I did with ALTMUF. Of course, then I was just making a point to a writer-friend of mine. I hope you enjoyed. If not, feel free to comment away on my inadequacies. I suck constructive criticism up like a dry sponge.**


End file.
